Sake Flounder

Fish time!  I've really enjoyed trying some different seafood recipes, making salmon, tilapia, and shrimp recently.  I was never a big seafood fan until I started making it at home, and now I'm hooked.  There were a couple frozen seafood options on sale at the grocery, so I went out on a limb and snagged some flounder and swai fish to try out.



I used a recipe for Japanese Flounder, swapping out the white sugar for brown sugar based on all my previous successes doing so.  In just about every recipe I try out that has sugar, I change it to brown and always love the results.

I thawed the flounder fillets overnight, then rinsed them and set them in a bowl with a lid.  I cut slices in the side so they would soak up the marinade.

In a small bowl, I prepared the marinade by mixing soy sauce, sake, sesame oil, brown sugar, lemon juice, powdered ginger, and minced garlic, then poured it over the fillets. I put the lid on, then placed them in the fridge for an hour.

To cook the fillets, I heated some olive oil in a cast iron skillet, then added the fillets to the pan.  I let them cook for about 3-4 minutes before flipping them to the other side.

I flipped the fillets over and cooked them for 3-4 more minutes, until the fish began to easily fall apart.

I served the fillets over some cooked rice and dinner was ready!

Well, my first flounder experience turned out great!  It reminded my husband a bit of Pan-seared Salmon with Honey Soy Sauce, but had a slightly fishier flavor.  In general, I am not a fan of the strong-flavored fish, but in this case it was very mild and quite good.  My only wish was that I could add some more sauce, so next time I may cook a little extra on the side for a topping.  All in all...awesome!  Now...I wonder how flounder tacos would come out?

Sake Flounder Recipe

Ingredients:

4 flounder fillets
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sake
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions:

Cut slices in the sides of the flounder fillets, then place in a bowl with a lid.  Mix soy sauce, sake, sesame oil, brown sugar, lemon juice, ginger, and minced garlic together in a small bowl and pour over fish, coating both sides.  Place in fridge and marinate at least 1 hour.  When ready to cook, heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add 2 fillets at a time and cook 3-4 minutes on each side, until browned. Once fish easily falls apart, remove from pan. Serve over rice.