Cedar Plank Flounder

Flounder is a small flatfish that can be found in in North America in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The family has many species including yellowtail flounder, gray sole, winter flounder, summer flounder (fluke), southern flounder, petrale sole, lemon sole, sand sole, Rex sole, English sole and California flounder. The color of the raw meat various slightly between the species, ranging from white to pale pink. When cooked, all flounder have flaky white meat. The flavor is mild with varying degrees of sweetness depending on the species.

Flounder Cooking Tips

Buy it Fresh

Fresh flounder should not smell fishy and the eyes should be bright and clear. The gills should be reddish, and the body coated in transparent slime - white slime is an indication that the fish is not fresh.

Don't Dry it Out

Flounder is not oily and the fillets can be thin, which makes it susceptible to drying out when cooking. Try cooking flounder with wine, marinade, sauces or moist vegetables to help prevent prevent the meat from drying out.

Don't Overpower the Meat

Flounder has a mild taste, which can easily be overpowered with strong favorable sauce. Stick to subtle flavors that don't overpower the delicate taste of flounder.

Don't Cut It

Large flounder can be filleted, but don't bother filleting smaller ones. The fillets will be too small and thin to cook properly.

How to Fillet a Flounder

1. Place the fish on a flat cutting board with the light side down.
2. Anchor the fish in place (with hand or clip) and cut on an angle behind the head. Cut a line completely across the back of the head, but only through the top layer of meat.
3. Start from the tail and cut a line along the center of the fish. Follow the spine from the tail to the head.
4. Cut across the tail just before the start of the tail fin.
5. Starting from the cut along the spine, make a long cut from the head to the tail, following as close as you can to the ribs. Repeat this cut, close to the ribs and peeling back the fillet as you go.
6. Stop just before the fin at the edge of the fish. Start a cut through the edge of the fish, starting from the head and lift the fillet up as you cut.
7. Repeat the previous steps for the other half, but stop your cuts just before you reach the gut.
8. Remove the guts and dispose of them.
9. Turn the fish over and cut out the two fillets from the bottom in the same manner as was done on the top of the fish.