Flounder Meunière
Flounder Meunière is a classic French dish made with a delicate fillet of fish, lots of browned butter, fresh lemon and parsley. It's very simple to prepare - don't let the fancy name fool you!
This post may contain affiliate links.
Meunière is classical French preparation that's been around for decades. Despite its elegant name, it's incredibly easy to make.
If you've ever been intimidated by cooking fish, let this be the first dish you master. It's a really simple recipe, yet fancy and impressive, making it great for both weeknight meals and special occasions!
French cooking doesn't have to be intimidating. With just 10 minutes of cooking time and a few ingredients, this classic dish comes together easier than boxed Mac n cheese!
This dish is classically made with Dover sole it works with any fresh flaky white fish fillets you prefer. I use flounder (fluke) because it's local here at the Jersey shore and we often catch it ourselves!
For more delicious flounder recipes, try my family recipe for flounder Francaise, this Italian classic flounder oreganata or this light and bright fluke crudo.
Why This Recipe Works
- An impressive dish, but actually very simple to make.
- Only 7 main ingredients.
- Ready in 20 minutes for an easy weeknight meal.
Ingredient Notes
Olive oil - Olive oil is used to cook the filets, but you can substitute vegetable oil or clarified butter if you prefer.
Fresh Fish - Use thin, flaky white fish filets for this recipe. Meuniere is classically made with Dover sole filets, but I use flounder (also called fluke) because it's local to me. Feel free to use a different fish. Any delicate flaky white fish will work for this recipe. Some other options are turbot, skate, whiting or trout.
Salted butter - Use salted butter instead of unsalted butter for the best flavor. The brown butter is the key ingredient in the quick pan sauce, so don't skimp on it or substitute.
Fresh lemon juice - Use a fresh lemon and squeeze the juice. It's far superior to buying bottled lemon juice.
*Find the full ingredient list in the recipe card below!
Helpful Equipment
Fish spatula - A fish spatula makes it easier to flip, but if you don't have one, a regular spatula will work.
Stainless Steel Pan - A large stainless steel pan makes cooking the fish and brown butter easier than other types of pans.
Step by Step Instructions
- Pat each fish filet dry with paper towels, then season both sides with salt and black pepper. Pour enough olive oil to generously coat the bottom of a large skillet and place over high heat.
- Lightly coat each filet in flour and shake off any excess flour.
- Gently place flour-dredged fish into the hot skillet.
- Let the first side cook for about 2 minutes, or until the edges start to turn opaque. Use a fish spatula to carefully flip over the cooked fillet, and allow it to cook for another minute or two on the other side (time will depend on the thickness of your filets).
- Transfer the cooked fillets to a plate and repeat with the remaining fish.
- Pour out the oil, wipe out the pan and lower the heat to medium. Add in the butter and let it cook until it starts to turn golden brown and smells nutty, about 4 minutes. Toss in the thyme sprig (if using) and stand back because it will spit and spatter. Then turn off the heat and quickly squeeze in lemon juice and shake the pan around to incorporate.
- Place one filet on each plate and pour the hot butter sauce over top. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately with more lemon wedges on the side.
Tips for Success
- Fish will continue to cook after being removed from the pan, so adjust your cook time accordingly so that it doesn't overcook. Thicker fish filets may need a bit more cooking time.
- Make sure to give the butter enough time to properly brown. The water in the butter needs to cook off so the milk solids can brown.
Serving Suggestions
This classic French recipe is quite rich with its nutty brown butter sauce, so I like to serve it with something light on the side.
Try it with a salad like this grilled romaine wedge or a Kale Caesar salad, along with a side of greens such as sautéed broccoli rabe with garlic or Italian escarole.
You can't go wrong with a side of crispy roasted potatoes and onions, or for another classic French recipe, try it with these decadent Dauphinoise potatoes!
This simple side of Corn and Green Beans with herb butter would also be a delicious pairing!
FAQ
This dish is best eaten fresh, but any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. To reheat, place fish with sauce in a covered oven safe container and heat for about 15 minutes at 275 degrees F.
A meuniere sauce is a brown butter and lemon based sauce that is typically made for fish. It's rich, but brightened up by the fresh lemon juice. Meuniere also refers to the cooking method of dredging fish in flour before cooking, when paired with the sauce.
You can cook this recipe using a whole fish, but you will fish need to remove the skin and fins. You can cook it whole, but you'll deconstruct it from the bones before serving.
Did you LOVE this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️ rating and comment and tag your creations @ColeyCooks on Instagram!
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox.
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Coley Cooks.
Flounder Meunière
Ingredients
- 4 nice sized filets of flounder 4-6 oz each*
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil**
- All purpose flour for dredging About 1 cup
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 sprig fresh thyme optional
- 1 lemon plus more wedges for serving
- 2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley
Instructions
- Pat the fish filets dry with paper towels, then season both sides with salt and pepper. Pour enough olive oil to generously coat the bottom of a medium-large saute pan and place over high heat.
- Working with one filet at a time, lightly dredge in flour and shake off any excess, then gently lay it into the hot oil. Let it cook for about 2 minutes, or until the edges start to turn opaque. Use a fish spatula to carefully flip it over, and allow it to cook for another minute or two on the other side (time will depend on the thickness of your filets). Repeat with the remaining fish.
- Pour out the oil, wipe out the pan and lower the heat to medium. Add in the butter and let it cook until it starts to turn golden brown and smells nutty, about 4 minutes. Toss in the thyme sprig (if using) and stand back because it will spit and spatter. Then turn off the heat and quickly squeeze in lemon juice and shake the pan around to incorporate.
- Place one filet on each plate and pour the butter sauce over top. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately with more lemon wedges on the side.
Notes
- *Substitute any light flaky fish like turbot, skate, whiting, trout or Dover sole.
- **Substitute vegetable oil or clarified butter if you wish.
- Thicker fish filets may need a bit more cooking time.
- A stainless steel frying pan or saucepan works best to make the brown butter meunière sauce.
- Make sure to give the butter enough time to cook. The water in the butter needs to cook off so the milk solids can brown.
Excellent . No changes and it is so quick and easy and so much flavor . Just make sure your sides are ready cause it is very quick and easy to make.
Thank you so much, I'm so happy you love the recipe!
I have made this recipe multiple times. Easy and delicious. This is the best recipe for flounder I have ever tried.
I'm so happy you love the recipe so much!! I really appreciate your lovely review!
Turned out perfect! Was delicious and will definitely make again.
Amazing! So glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for leaving a review!
Just made this. My filets were thick so I did keep them on a few more minutes.
Thank you. Delicious!!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for leaving a review!
I cooked this for my family and they absolutely loved it! All plates were completely clean. Paired it with vinegar & broccoli and jasmine rice.
I'm so happy your family loved the recipe! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, we appreciate it so much!
Tastes very nice, but the flounder just falls apart into mush when cooked. The recipe should call for coating the fish in egg prior to dredging it in flour to keep it together. I'm surprised that this is not mentioned in the recipe.
I'm sorry this didn't work out for you. It sounds like your fish got overcooked if it was falling apart. Flounder is very delicate and will over cook quickly. Egg is not used here because the flour is not meant to form a breading or crust, it's used to promote browning and to add a little bit of body to the pan sauce. If you want to use egg, I suggest trying my recipe for flounder francaise instead.