Almond Flounder Meuniere

I decided to try to cook dinner tonight since we seemed to have no scheduled showings for our house and was craving fish since we haven't had it in a while.  We did end up having a showing between 6:00 and 7:00 which slightly delayed our dinner, but I made it work.

I decided that a couple of flounder fillets, brushed with beaten egg yolk and covered with a ground almond mixture which I then sauteed in browned butter sounded like the perfect fit for tonight.  Once done, the fish fillets got a good squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkling of toasted sliced almonds and chopped parsley.  I served the fish fillets with simply boiled red baby potatoes which I tossed in butter and chopped chives when done.  I also served oven roasted broccoli which was a wonderful side to this meal.

Almond Flounder Meuniere
Makes 2 servings

1/3 cup ground almonds
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 pound flounder fillets
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons cold butter, preferably salted

Lemon wedges, for serving
Toasted sliced almonds, for garnish
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Whisk the ground almonds, flour, and zest together, then season the mix with salt and pepper.  Pat the fish fillets dry and, using a pastry brush, lightly coat one side of each fillet with a little of the beaten yolk.  (I coated the side that would have had skin.)  Dip the coated side of each fillet into the nut mixture.

Put a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and a small pinch of salt, if your butter isn't salted, and cook the butter until it turns light brown, about 3 minutes.  Slip the fillets into the skillet nut side down, without crowding, lower the heat, and cook for 3 minutes or so until the coating is golden and the fish is cooked halfway through.  Season the exposed side of each fillet with salt and pepper, add another 1/2 tablespoon cold butter to the pan, and very gently turn the fillets over.  Cook, spooning some of the browned butter over the fillets once or twice, until the fish is opaque throughout, about 2 minutes more.  If it looks like the pan is dry, add a little more butter.  (If you weren't able to cook all the fillets in one pan, keep the cooked fish warm while you saute the remaining fillets.)

Give each fillet a squirt of lemon juice, then scatter over some toasted almonds and parsley.  Have more lemon wedges at the table so you can give the fish another squeeze or two if needed.

Slightly adapted from:
Around my French Table


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