Baked Crab-Stuffed Flounder

This flaky flat white fish is tender and delicious. But because this is a very flat fish, you can't get a thick filet and it would typically take 2-3 to make a main course for most men. So today, I'm making a stuffed version, although I use that term loosely.

Flounder typically comes in smaller thin pieces so to actually stuff them would be pretty much impossible. In the recipe below I use the fish as the bottom and sides, generally wrapping them around the crab stuffing. The recipe I provide you with below is the same as my crab cake recipe. Use it as your loose guide for this stuffing.

Stuffing on Bottom Filet - Attach sides next.

Ingredients

1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 stalk of celery, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped and optional

2-3 tablespoons parsley -- chopped

1 large garlic clove, crushed

1 large egg

1 tablespoon hot sauce

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Old Bay Seafood seasoning

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons dry mustard

3/4 cup  bread crumbs, Italian preferred

1 pound  lump crab -- canned and drained

1 tablespoon oil or spray food release

1/3 cup white wine

8 flounder fillets

2 tablespoons butter, melted

salt, freshly ground black pepper, paprika

Instructions

Chop the vegetables and garlic as noted above. Mix together the remaining ingredients except for the bread crumbs and crab. Combine the chopped vegetables and the other ingredients and stir well.  Stir in the bread crumbs and toss the crab in the mixture. Do not over-mix the crab as you do not want to break it up into very fine shredded pieces. A light tossing will ensure lumps of crab remain. Set the stuffing aside. Heat the oven to 350F degrees.

Lightly oil or spray with food release, a large baking dish. Place 4 of the flounder fillets on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top each piece with the stuffing mixture. Cut the remaining four flounder fillets in half lengthwise following the line of the spine. Wrap each stuffed filet along both sides so that the stuffing is enclosed on the sides but open on the top as shown in the photos. Pour melted butter over the prepared fish. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot through. Carefully lift the stuffed fillets out onto serving plates.

Notes:  If you have extra stuffing, it can be used for crab cakes. It holds in the refrigerator for several days.