What is it?

Flounder is a type of flat fish. It has firm, flaky white flesh and a mild flavor.

How to choose:

A great fish has a glistening, take-me-home-I’m-delicious look that catches your eye. If you’re buying a whole fish, look for ones that have all of their scales intact, a sign of proper handling. The eyes are clear and bright, and the gills, if still intact, are either bright red or pale—never brown or grayish. Good fish are firm and resilient to the touch and their smell is clean, fresh, almost sweet. Never buy a fish that smells like a fish.

As with whole fish, quality fillets will have an appetizing aspect, and translucent flesh. As fillets begin to age, the translucent flesh turns opaque. A slippery feel and a shiny surface on otherwise opaque flesh probably means that the fish has been treated with sodium tripolyphosphate (STP). Used to retard bacterial growth and moisture loss, STP can also suppress a fishy odor, but it adds a chemical taste to the fish. Fish processors commonly treat fillets with these additives, but they rarely inform their customers. If the quality of the fish is excellent to begin with, however, there’s no need to use STP or any other additive.

How to store:

Once you’ve bought fish, the most important thing is to keep the fish as cold as possible. If you aren’t going straight home from the market, or if you have a long trip, ask the fishmonger to pack a bag of ice with your fish. As soon as you get home, transfer the fish to your refrigerator. Put fillets and steaks in a plastic bag and set the bag on ice to maintain a temperature close to 33°F (spoilage occurs twice as fast at 40°F as it does at 32°). Avoid freezing fish at home—most residential freezers don’t freeze fast enough, which causes large ice crystals to form in the cells, damaging the flesh when it thaws. Instead, buy only what you need and use it as soon as possible.

Recipes

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  Recipe

  Poached Fluke in Lemon Brodo

  Fragrant with lemon, this light, utterly simple fish dish is a joy to cook and eat. Serve it with some good crusty bread to dunk in the broth.

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  Recipe

  Crispy Flounder with Pears, Endive, and Meyer Lemon

  Smoother, rounder, and deeper in color than standard lemons, Meyer lemons are less acidic, with orange and floral flavor notes.

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  Recipe

  薄荷Beurr水煮比目鱼e Blanc

  This classic shallow-poached fish is served with a minty French butter sauce. It’s delicious with a simple rice pilaf and tender green spring vegetables like peas or baby spinach.

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  Recipe

  Flounder Poached in Coconut, Ginger & Basil Broth

  Though regular Genovese basil will add a lovely aroma to the Southeast Asian flavors of this dish, the slightly spicier, more anise-y notes of Thai or opal basil are an…

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  Recipe

  Broiled Flounder with Parmesan “Caesar” Glaze

  Fish is the ultimate fast food, but that doesn’t mean it has to taste like fast food. Don’t have flounder? In this recipe, it’s fine to substitute another lean, white-fleshed…

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  Recipe

  Baked Tilapia with Tarragon-Scallion Stuffing & Butter Sauce

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  Recipe

  Sole Fillets with Toasted Pine Nuts, Lemon, and Basil

  Fortunato Nicotra, the executive chef of Felidia in New York City, likes to serve this simple Sicilian dish of sole with olive-oil mashed potatoes. If you can't find sole or…

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  Recipe

  Fish Stock

  Reserve 1/4 cup of this stock for Rouille. The rest goes in the Bouillabaisse.