Flounder is popular in the world of fish. It is highly recommended for people who are trying fish for the first time. Flounder is a flatfish that spends most of its life on the ocean floor. It looks more unusual than the typical fish, but you can’t help but love it after you have had a taste.
What does flounder taste like? The flavor profile of flounder is very similar to halibut. The texture is super delicate, it has a mild flavor and is subtly sweet. If you have had a taste of tilapia or branzino, then you vaguely have an idea of what flounder tastes like.
Flounder is not oily, and its level of moisture is low. For someone new to cooking fish, it will not be an easy task. Aside from its premium taste, it has also proven to have many nutritional benefits for the body.
Nutritional Benefits of Flounder
Flounder has zero fat, carbohydrate, sugar, and fiber. However, there are just enough polyunsaturated fats. Flounder might not be as nutritious as other flatfishes like the halibut. Its water content is higher, so nutrients are less dense. But, the flounder still comes packed with enough nutrients to add nutritional value to the body with every serving.
In an 8-ounce serving of flounder, you have about 180 calories and 30 grams of protein. The most valuable nutritional value of the flounder is its high protein content, including flounder in your diet will supply you with 50 percent of the recommended daily intake for protein.
Protein plays an important role in bodybuilding. It helps muscle and tissue development and checks macular degeneration. Flounder contains vitamin C, B12, and B6, and minerals like selenium, magnesium, calcium, and iron. The combination of these minerals boosts immunity, lowers blood pressure and overall cholesterol levels helping to keep heart-related diseases away.
Flounder contains omega-3 acids that help brain development in fetuses and could also help reduce the symptoms of depression. Eating flounder can also reduce the risk of dementia because it significantly improves the flow of blood to the brain, keeping neurodegenerative diseases at bay.
It is also known to contain nutrients and minerals that can combat excessive inflammation which is the body’s way of fighting off infection and it can also help to alleviate the symptoms of arthritis. Flounder is a great edible fish as it also contains vitamins that help the production of energy in the body, eliminating accumulated or excessive fatigue.
Culinary Uses of Flounder
Flounder has a delicate texture that makes cooking a hassle. If you are not careful with flounder fillets, they can fall apart as you try to cook them. Flounder is very great in recipes and very versatile, its mild flavor makes it easier to take on a variety of flavors. One of the most popular ways to eat flounder is piccata with lemons and capers on top of pasta.
There are tons of ways to enjoy flounder, another way to enjoy it is to try it with herb blossom butter. This involves putting some butter in a bowl, starting by adding thyme blossoms, lemon zest, dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, mustard blossoms, chives, and lemon juice. Mix them all and add salt and black pepper. Then mold the butter into a log shape, wrap it up and let it cool in the refrigerator.
The flounder is then prepared by adding flour to a bowl and seasoning it with the season of your choice. You can go with cayenne, salt, and pepper.
Shake off the excess flour and fry the fish with a film of oil in a skillet. Fry under medium heat, and flip the sides so the fish gets done properly. As soon as the fish starts flaking, take it off the skillet and eat it with the herb blossom butter.
Killing Thyme has a perfect 20-minute flounder recipe that is working checking out: Baked Flounder au Gratin. The crispy toppings of thyme and parmesan within the recipe make it easier for anyone to incorporate more fish in their diet!
What is a Flounder?
Flounder is a unique fish that can be found in many parts of the world, even in estuaries. There are several types of flounder; in the European waters you have Witch Flounder and European Flounder and in the Western Atlantic, we have Summer Flounder, Winter Flounder, Southern Flounder, and Gulf Flounder.
Flounders are both with both eyes on different parts of its head. As they grow from larva to juvenile stage, both eyes will now be present on the side of the fish that faces up. This is because adult flounders have a different habit, they camouflage themselves by staying at the bottom of the ocean.
How Do You Pick the Best Flounder?
Picking the freshest flounder is a great way to get the best taste out of it. Before you buy a flounder, it wouldn’t hurt to smell it. The fish might smell fishy, depending on how long it had been harvested but it is not supposed to smell pungent or overwhelming. A pungent smell suggests that the fish had been around for too long.
Also, check that the skin of the fish is shiny and that it has clear bright eyes not dull gray ones. A discolored or patchy-looking skin could mean that the flounder is not fresh.
Facts You Don’t Know About Flounder
- Many restaurants prepare the flounder fish whole, with the bones and everything. Trying flounder fillets would be a safer choice if you have little kids or old people.
- Flounder will have a pink color when it is still undercooked, but when cooked, the color turns to white.