Name: Mediterranean-style whole flounder recipe with green olive salsa
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 1 plate-sized flounder (about 1- 1.2kg each), cleaned; ⅓ cup capers in brine, drained; 60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil; 1 golden shallot, finely chopped; 2 anchovies, finely chopped; 100 gm unsalted butter, chopped; Juice of 1 lemon; 2 tsp plain flour; Lemon wedges, to serve; Green olive salsa; ½ cup pitted Sicilian olives, coarsely chopped; ½ cup coarsely chopped soft herbs, such as parsley and dill, plus extra to serve; ¼ cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; ½ tsp Aleppo pepper; 80 m (1/3 cup) extra-virgin olive oil; Finely grated zest of ½ lemon, plus 60ml (¼ cup) lemon juice

Mediterranean flavours, including briny capers, lemon and toasted almond, form the base of this lightly fried whole flounder showstopper. The best part? It’s ready to serve in just 30 minutes.

Ingredients

1 plate-sized flounder (about 1- 1.2kg each), cleaned

⅓ cup capers in brine, drained

60 ml (¼ cup) vegetable oil

1 golden shallot, finely chopped

2 anchovies, finely chopped

100 gm unsalted butter, chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tsp plain flour

Lemon wedges, to serve

Green olive salsa

½ cup pitted Sicilian olives, coarsely chopped

½ cup coarsely chopped soft herbs, such as parsley and dill, plus extra to serve

¼ cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

½ tsp Aleppo pepper

80 m (1/3 cup) extra-virgin olive oil

Finely grated zest of ½ lemon, plus 60ml (¼ cup) lemon juice

Method

Pat flounder dry with paper towel and bring to room temperature (30 minutes).

For salsa, combine all ingredients in a bowl, season to taste and stand at room temperature for flavours to develop (15 minutes).

Pat capers dry with paper towel. Heat vegetable oil in a small saucepan over high heat. Fry capers until crisp (1-2 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain. Reduce heat to low; add shallot and anchovies and cook, stirring, until softened (2-3 minutes). Add butter and cook, swirling pan, until nut brown (3-4 minutes). Remove from the heat; stir in lemon juice and season to taste.

Dust flounder in flour and season. Heat a large frying pan over high heat. Add half the anchovy butter to pan and swirl until foaming. Cook flounder, basting in butter, until golden and just cooked through (5-8 minutes each side). Transfer to a plate and spoon over remaining butter; set aside to rest (5 minutes).

Place flounder on a serving platter. Spoon over butter sauce and green olive salsa. Top with fried capers and extra herbs. Serve with lemon wedges.

Recipe by Tamika O'Neill

Photography by James Moffatt Photographer

Styling by Lucy Busuttil Stylist and Recipe Developer

Lucy Busuttil is an experienced food stylist and editor who has worked with leading print and broadcast brands in the food media industry in Australia for over 15 years. She also has a strong foundation as a leading chef for Michelin-starred restaurants in UK, US, France and Australia. After working as a chef for 15 years for some of the world's top restaurants, Lucy transitioned into the food media. Her vast experience and understanding of food make her styling and recipe writing uniquely accessible to her clients and their target audiences. Lucy is currently based in Sydney and works as a freelance food stylist and recipe writer, focusing on editorial, digital, and advertising content for luxury lifestyle brands. She curates beautiful editorial videos on food and drink and styles for editorial-leading food brands such as Gourmet Traveller and Delicious, as well as advertising and promotional content for some of the most renowned names in cuisine in the country.

Linkedin Instagram

Ingredients

Method

Related stories