Stuffed Flounder

Hello foodies! Welcome to another edition of The Tasteful Texan! Today, we will be dealing with a new type of fish. We've been doing a lot of seafood recipes, but we've never dealt with a whole fish before. It can seem a little intimidating, or even gross to some. It's really not that bad.

The fish we will be preparing today is the flounder. Yes, just like the fish Ariel from The Little Mermaid is accompanied by the entire movie. There are at least 6 known species of flounder, such as Gulf flounder, Summer flounder, European flounder, and Olive flounder. All flounder are flatfish, which makes them asymmetrical, as well as having both eyes on one side of their head as opposed to one eye on either side like most fish.

So, now that we know a little about of food, are we ready to get in the kitchen and make some grub? I sure am! I'll meet you there.

Stuffed Flounder

Makes 6 servings 

You will need:

• 1 whole flounder
• 1 cup butter, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 3 cups chicken-flavored dry bread stuffing mix
• 1 (6 ounce) can lump crabmeat
• 1 (4 ounce) can small shrimp, liquid reserved
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

Ready?

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. 
2. Lay the fish down dark side up. 
3. Make an incision next to the backbone on both sides, stopping before the head and tail. 
4. Slip the knife in between the flesh and backbone and run the knife down the ribs on both sides of the backbone.
5. Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a skillet over medium heat. 
6. Saute the onion and celery in the butter until just tender. 
7. Place the stuffing mix into a bowl, and stir the onion and celery into it along with the butter in the pan. 
8. Mix in the crab and shrimp with their juices, adding a little more liquid, or more stuffing to get a good consistency.
9. Melt the remaining butter, and brush some of it onto a cookie sheet. Stuff the stuffing mixture into the pockets of the flounder, and place the stuffed fish on the cookie sheet. 
10. Brush the outside of the fish with melted butter, and season with the Old Bay and Cajun seasoning.
11. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until the flounder flakes easily with a fork.
12. Enjoy!

As usual, I'll be back tomorrow with something equally as tasty. I hope you have a great day, and I'll catch you on the flip side. Happy blogging to all!