Flounder Francaise uses inexpensive fillets of flounder and a rich and tangy butter lemon sauce. This delicious sauce elevates dinner to an anything but basic fish recipe.
We eat this mild fish pretty often and always with some type of sauce. This is a lightened up version of Flounder Francaise by just lightly pan frying with a seasoning coating instead of the classic way of dredging in flour.
Flounder can be broiled like my Broiled Flounder with Spicy Tartar Sauce or fried like my Blackened Flounder with Cajun Sauce or Pan Fried Flounder.
If you like the tangy butter sauce from the Francaise, be sure to try my Cod Francaise or the Blackened Grouper that has a lemon herb sauce.
How to make Flounder Francaise
Step-by-Step Photos:
Step 1: Gather ingredients.
Step 2: Pat flounder dry with paper towel. Stir together the spices and press onto both sides of fish.
Step 3: Heat skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and oil. Add flounder to skillet and let it cook without moving for 3 minutes. Slide spatula under and gently flip over. Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes. If you have thicker fillets, it will take 1-2 minutes longer.
Step 4: Remove flounder to platter, cover with aluminum foil to keep warm while you make the sauce.
Step 5: Stir together the butter, stock, lemon juice and cornstarch.
Step 6: Heat pan on low. Pour in sauce and have it just barely simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add wine and herbs and simmer an additional minute. Stir in 1 teaspoon more cornstarch if you want a thicker sauce. Or add more broth if you'd like it thinner.
Serve over flounder.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Flounder Fillets - I am using flounder fillets from the grocery store fresh seafood section. You can use frozen ( defrost overnight in the refrigerator or in a large pan of cold water for about 30 minutes.
- If you need to, you can use sole or tilapia which are both similar in taste and texture.
- Old Bay-I always recommend this seasoning for any seafood and it lasts a long while in the pantry. If you don't have any, try equal parts paprika, celery salt, black pepper, cayenne and dry mustard.
- Lemon juice-Fresh is best but if you only have bottled add a ½ teaspoon of sugar since the bottled is a bit more tart.
- White wine- If you have it in your pantry, I do recommend using the wine. It helps lighten and smooth out the heavier butter flavor and adds to the tangy taste in the sauce. A sub for this might be some more chicken broth and lemon juice. Try a little of these at a time and taste the sauce before adding more.
Recipe Testing Tips
- Make sure to dry the flounder with paper towels before frying. Since this recipe uses a seasoning coating instead of a flour coating, it will need the fish to be dry for the spices to stick.
- Always use a hot, well oiled or buttered pan. And don't move the fish around for at least 3 minutes. I have rushed this step and found out the hard way! The reason it will stick to a pan is low heat and flipping it too soon. You can lower the heat if the pan smokes or if the flounder is cooking too quickly.
- I know I probably sound like a broken record BUT taste the sauce in the cup before adding into the skillet. Yes, you can adjust for flavor while cooking but I prefer to try to get it right the first time since it's easier to make changes then.
What to do if the sauce separates?
The Francaise sauce should looks smooth and glossy, like a thin gravy. If you see the fat from the butter pooling in the sauce and not mixed or if the sauce looks grainy or curdled, it may have separated. This could be due to too high of heat on the pan, boiling the sauce, instead of just warming it. Or the pan could have been too hot when you added the butter.
To fix this, remove pan from heat and let it cool for a minute. Return to burner on low and add 2-3 teaspoons of butter and whisk into the sauce. Don't simmer, just reheat. It should improve the texture of the sauce.
Serving Suggestions
Whenever I make a food that has a sauce, I usually serve some rice or noodles as a side dish. Honestly, I will double the sauce specifically so there is plenty to drizzle over everything. For this dish, I made Jasmine rice and some steamed mixed vegetables.
Besides rice or noodles, baked or mashed potatoes go well. You an get creative with some couscous or quinoa too. They are all perfect for drizzling sauce over top.
With a rich sauce, something green alongside always appeals to me. So broccoli, asparagus or green beans would be delicious.
Storage and Reheating
Any leftover fish should be stored with leftover sauce to keep it from drying out. Keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for two days. Reheat in a skillet on low heat with a few tablespoons of water or chicken broth for moisture. Reheat just until hot.
You can freeze in a container for two months but the sauce may change its texture and become grainy upon reheating. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat as above.
If you tried this recipe and enjoyed it, I'd love if you gave it a 5 star rating. This tells me what you like and want to see more of. Thank you!
Here are more fish recipes to try:
Flounder Francaise
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American/French
Description
This simple fish Francaise with lemon butter sauce uses inexpensive fillets of flounder and some simple ingredients to create a delicious fish dinner. The richness of the butter and tangy flavors of the white wine and lemon in the sauce elevates this easy weeknight meal to a restaurant quality dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds flounder (5 fillets)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning (or equal parts paprika, celery salt, onion powder, dry mustard)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Francaise Sauce
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup chicken stock, unsalted
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup white wine*
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or flour
- 2 stems of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
- 2 stems of fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Pat flounder dry with paper towel. Stir together the seasoning and gently press onto both sides of flounder.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and butter.
- Add flounder to skillet and let it cook without moving for 3 minutes. Slide spatula under and gently flip over. Continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes. If you have thicker fillets, it will take 1-2 minutes longer.
- Remove flounder to platter, cover with aluminum foil to keep warm while you make the sauce.
- Stir together the butter, stock, lemon juice and cornstarch.
- Heat pan on low-medium. Pour in sauce and let it simmer for 3-4 minutes. Add wine and herbs and simmer an additional minute. Stir in 1 teaspoon more cornstarch if you want a thicker sauce. Or add more broth if you'd like it thinner.
- Serve over flounder and garnish with chopped parsley and lemon slices if desired.
Notes
*Always use a hot, well oiled or buttered pan. And don't move the fish around for at least 3 minutes. The reason it will stick to a pan is low heat and flipping it too soon. You can lower the heat if the pan smokes or if the flounder is cooking too quickly.
*I know I sound like a broken record, but taste the sauce in the measuring cup before adding to the pan and adjust for flavor. Yes, you can still adjust it while cooking but I prefer to try to get it right the first time.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 238
- Sugar: 0.4g
- Sodium: 889mg
- Fat: 16.2g
- Carbohydrates: 3.3g
- Protein: 17.5g
- Cholesterol: 92.2mg
Deb says
The rich and tangy sauce makes this simple flounder dish extra special.