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My baked flounder recipe is lightly seasoned and baked in a savory, delicate garlic butter sauce. It’s our cheat code for a quick and healthy dinner when we have minutes to spare!
If your family loves cooking white fish as much as mine does, try my air fryer cod, baked haddock, or lemon butter baked halibut next!
Table of Contents
Baking fish is a game-changer. Don’t get me wrong, we love grilled grouper, but baking is our preferred method when I need a more hands-off recipe that guarantees light and flaky fish.
For this recipe, I kept the seasonings to a minimum and highlighted the natural butteriness of the flounder. The results are tender fish with layers of garlicky, lemony goodness.
Why I love this recipe
- It’s fast. The fish cooks in about 15 minutes, and most of that time is hands-off.
- Healthy. Like barramundi, flounder is high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids and is super low in calories.
- Works with fresh or frozen fillets. We’ll use fresh fillets when flounder is in season, but during the winter, we typically use frozen and thawed fillets.
Key ingredients
- Flounder fillets. Look for firm, pearly white fillets. They shouldn’t be overly fishy in aroma. If using frozen, allow them to thaw completely and pat them VERY dry.
- Extra virgin olive oil. To add flavor and help the seasonings stick.
- Salt and black pepper. To taste.
- Paprika. I like the subtle, savory, sweet flavor paprika adds to fish. I wouldn’t recommend smoked paprika, as it can be overpowering.
- Dried parsley. Optional, for added aroma.
- Lemon wedges. To serve.
For the lemon butter sauce:
- Butter. I prefer unsalted butter since you can never really tell how salty salted butter will be.
- Garlic. I suggest using fresh garlic so you get bites of roasted garlic.
- Fresh lemon juice. For essential acidity.
- Fresh parsley. For color. This can be substituted for extra dried parsley.
- Breadcrumbs. I used extra fine breadcrumbs so they didn’t overpower the flaky texture of the fish.
How to bake flounder
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1 – Season. Dry each flounder filet, then drizzle with oil and season both sides. Place the fillets in the dish.
Step 2- Make the sauce. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, garlic, lemon, and parsley.
Step 3- Assemble. Drizzle the garlic butter sauce over the fish and sprinkle the bread crumbs on top.
Step 4- Bake the fish until it’s opaque and flaky. Serve warm with lemon and extra garlic butter.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Let the fish come to room temperature. This helps the fillets cook more quickly and evenly.
- Lightly tent the fish in foil. White fish cooks quickly, and if your oven runs hot, it might cook faster than the time I suggest. In this case, you can lightly tent the fillets in aluminum foil to prevent them from drying out.
- Forgot to thaw frozen fillets? Submerge the flounder in cold water for 30 minutes, then pat them dry with paper towels.
Frequently asked questions
I tend to leave the fish uncovered as the cooking time is fairly quick, and I don’t have a problem with it drying out. That said, you’re welcome to loosely wrap the fillets in aluminum foil if you’re worried it will become dry.
More quick seafood recipes
Baked Flounder
Ingredients
Garlic butter sauce
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped (or 1/4 teaspoon dried)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190C/375F. Lightly grease a baking dish with olive oil or line it with parchment paper.
- Pat the flounder fillets dry with paper towels. Brush both sides with olive oil, then season with salt, pepper, paprika, and dried parsley (if using).
- In a small bowl, mix melted butter, minced garlic, lemon juice, and fresh parsley.
- Place the fillets in the baking dish. Pour the garlic butter sauce evenly over the fish. Sprinkle the top with the breadcrumbs and press down onto the fish.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
- Remove from the oven and serve immediately with lemon wedges and the garlic butter pan juices.
Notes
- Add cheese. Mix the breadcrumbs with freshly grated parmesan cheese for a more golden exterior and cheesy flavor.
- More lemon flavor. Add lemon zest to the butter sauce, or bake the flounder with lemon slices on top.
Never heard of this type of fish. Is it good?