Ingredients

Flounder and dab

Other Names: Dab: American or Canadian plaice; ising, slette (Danish); kliesche (German); limande (French); sandflyndre (Norwegian); sandkoli (Icelandic); schar (Dutch). Summer flounder: Carta de verão (Portuguese); chomatída tou kalokairioú (Greek); cardine du Canada or d’été (French), falso halibut del Canadá (Spanish); fluke; hirame (Japanese); letnyaya kambala (Russian); rombo dentato (Italian); sommerflunder (German). Yellowtail flounder: Gelbschwanzflunder (German); karei (Japanese); limanda (Italian); rustytail; yellowtail dab. Winter flounder: Akagarei (Japanese); Amerikanische winterflunder (German); chomatída
(Greek); lemon sole; limanda americana (Italian); platija americana, solla roja (Spanish); plie rouge (French); schollen (German); zimnyaya kambala (Russian). Pleuronectidae.

General Description: Flounder are the most important flatfish family and are found mostly in northern waters. Their Latin name, Pleuronectidae, means “sideswimmer” because they start out as round fish, but as they mature and become bottom-dwellers, one eye migrates to the same side of the head as the other eye and the fish actually swim on their sides. There are right-eyed and left-eyed flounders, though all commercially important species in North America (except fluke) are righteyed. Flounder use color adaptation to match the bay or ocean floor and may partially bury themselves for
camouflage. On the American Atlantic coast, yellowtail is the most important flounder; on the Pacific coast it is petrale sole.

Winter flounder (Pseuopleuronectes americanus_) are the most common shallow-water flatfish in North America. They are brown-skinned, right-eyed flounder. On some fish, the tail area on the underside is yellow, so they are often called lemon sole. They may weigh up to 8 pounds.Winter flounder produce both a white and a gray fillet, but both turn pure white when cooked. Summer flounder (_Paralichthys dentatus) have brownish skin with conspicuous black spots on the top side; the bottom side is almost white. They are
usually sold under the name fluke and are left-eyed. They are one of the larger flounders, weighing up to 26 pounds. The meat is delicately flavored, bright white, and firm. They are also used for sushi.

Sand dab (Limanda limanda_) grow up to 5 pounds and may be sold as flounder or, if filleted, as sole. In the Jutland area of Denmark, sand dab is salted and dried and also smoked. Gray sole (Glyptocephalus cynoglossus_), or witch flounder, is an American East Coast favorite. Their skin is pale gray. Gray sole can weigh up to 5 pounds and are elongated rather than rounded, with perfectly white fillets. Because of the
small yield, only 28 percent, this is an expensive fish. It is best eaten whole with skin on. Yellowtail flounder (L. ferruginea_) weigh only 1 to 2 pounds but are one of the most important species in the Atlantic. Numbers have been diminishing in recent years. Petrale sole (_Eopsetta jordani) is one of the best-tasting flounders on the American Pacific coast. They can grow as large as 5 pounds but are most common at 1 pound. The rex sole (G. zachirus) is a delicious small flounder once common in Pacific waters but increasingly hard to find. They can weigh up to 1 pound but are most common at 1/2 pound, so they are sold whole.

California halibut (Paralichthys californicus), or fluke-halibut, is actually a large and tasty flounder sought after for sport and the table. Overfishing has diminished stocks of this flatfish, which makes for excellent eating unless caught near Los Angeles, where fish may be contaminated by pollutants.

Locale and Seaon: Flounder are caught in Canada, Iceland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Russia, Spain, the United
Kingdom, and the United States. Peak season is May to October for Pacific sand dab, November to April for gray sole, November to May for lemon sole, and May to June and October to November for yellowtail. California halibut range from British Columbia to Baja California.

Characteristics: Gray and rex sole have long, slender fillets. Yellowtail flounder, lemon sole, fluke, and sand dab have broader, thicker fillets. Market size is from 1 to 5 pounds, according to species. Flounder are renowned for their
fine, tender, yet firm texture and have delicate, sweet flavor. Yield is 30 percent.

How to Choose: Note that some processors used tripolyphosphates to increase moisture levels and extend the shelf life of frozen, defrosted flounder fillets. This also adds water weight to the fish. If the fillets are abnormally wet (or
overly inexpensive) they may have been treated. Inexpensive yellowtail fillets may be frozen in blocks.

Storage: Store whole flounder up to 2 days refrigerated; store fillets up to 1 day refrigerated.

Preparation:

Fillets from large fish may be stuffed, rolled and
baked, baked, or coated and pan-fried. Smaller whole
fish may be grilled, broiled, or baked.

Flounder is quite lean, so do not overcook it. As
soon as the flesh is opaque, it is done. Because it
flakes easily, fillets are not suitable for stir-frying
or grilling.

Suggested Recipe: Broiled Crumbed Flounder (serves 4): Sauté 1/4 cup finely chopped onion with 1/4 cup chopped green and red pepper in 1 tablespoon butter. Remove from heat and combine with 1/4 cup sliced scallions, 1 teaspoon
chopped garlic, and 1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs. Season 4 (6- to 8-ounce) flounder fillets with salt and pepper, spread with a thin layer of mayonnaise, and top with the crumb mixture. Broil about 6 minutes, or until the fish flakes.

Flavor Affinities: Bell pepper, butter, chervil, chives, cream, dill, fennel, gruyère cheese, lemon, mint, mushroom, parmesan cheese, parsley, shallot, spinach, tarragon, tomato,
white vermouth, white wine, zucchini.

from Quirk Books: www.quirkbooks.com

related