This simple but dazzling preparation of fresh flounder fillets, while seeming complicated at first glance, actually goes together easily and quickly. Prepare the okra, corn and vinaigrette ahead of time; then it’s just few minutes to finish the fillets and pull the whole meal together.
Ingredients
Sautéed Flounder:
- Four, 6-ounce flounder fillets
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- Sprig of thyme
Wine: Unoaked chardonnay, such as Hanzell Sebella Chardonnay
Beer: Hoppy red ale Jon Whittle
Creamless Creamed Corn:
- 4 cups fresh corn, off the cob
- 1 Tbsp. honey
- 1⁄2 tsp. Tabasco
- 2 tsp. sherry vinegar
- Salt
- White pepper
Fried Okra:
- 2 cups okra, 1⁄4-inch slices
- 11⁄2 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1 tsp. paprika
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 cup canola oil
Bacon Vinaigrette:
- 1⁄4 cup sherry vinegar
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 1⁄2 cup virgin olive oil
- 1⁄4 cup rendered bacon fat and cubed bacon
- Salt
- Pepper
Recipe
Creamless Creamed Corn
1. Puree in a blender 1 cup of the corn, and strain and place in a double boiler.
2. Heat and whisk until thickened, add salt, pepper, honey, Tabasco, sherry vinegar and remainder of corn.
3. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes until corn is soft.
Fried Okra
1. Soak okra in buttermilk for 1 hour at room temp.
2. Mix together flour, cornmeal, paprika, salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil, 2 inches deep in the pan, to 350. Drain okra and dredge in seasoned flour, then fry until golden brown.
Bacon Vinaigrette
1. Whisk together vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper until sugar is dissolved.
2. Slowly whisk in warm bacon fat, bacon cubes and oil.
Sautéed Flounder
1. Sauté 4 fillets of flounder, presentation side down, until golden brown and about 80 percent cooked.
2. Add 2 Tbsp. butter and a sprig of thyme to the pan, flip fillets, and baste with butter and thyme until cooked through.
3. Spoon creamless corn onto plate, lay flounder serving on top, and spoon vinaigrette over the top. Garnish with fried okra.
