Bringing It Home - Chef John Folse - Stuffed Flounder

Ingredients

​​6 (1-pound) flounder, boned
1 pound lump crabmeat
salt and black pepper to taste
granulated garlic to taste
¼ cup melted butter
1 cup minced onions
1 cup minced celery
½ cup minced red bell peppers
½ cup minced green bell peppers
¼ cup minced garlic
1 cup white wine, divided
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups Italian bread crumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup water

Cooking Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Have your seafood supplier thoroughly clean and scale flounder.
Using a sharp paring knife, cut a slit down center of dark side of flounder from head to tail.
Following rib bone, cut a pocket down each side of fish.
Season flounder well, inside and out, with salt, pepper and granulated garlic then set aside.
In a large sauté pan, melt butter over medium-high heat.
Add onions, celery, bell peppers and minced garlic. Sauté 3–5 minutes or until vegetables are wilted.
Deglaze with ½ cup wine and reduce to half volume.
Pour in cream, bring to a rolling boil then reduce to simmer.
Blend in crabmeat then season to taste with salt, pepper and granulated garlic.
Sprinkle in bread crumbs, 1 cup at a time, until stuffing consistency is achieved.
Try to use minimal amount of bread crumbs to hold mixture together.
Remove from heat and fold in Parmesan cheese. Adjust seasonings if necessary.
Place flounder on a large cookie sheet with a 1-inch lip and divide stuffing equally among fish. Stuff each slit generously.
If desired, add a slice of lemon and a dash of paprika on top of stuffing in each pocket.
Add remaining wine and water to bottom of cookie sheet and bake 25 minutes or until stuffing is heated throughout.
Serve immediately.