Baked Flounder Recipe with Lemon Butter Garlic Sauce
Jun 05, 2023, Updated Mar 03, 2024
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This Baked Flounder Recipe with Lemon Butter Garlic Sauce is your new favorite weeknight fish recipe. It is easy to make with little mess to clean and super flavorful! The flounder is mild and slightly sweet with a delicate texture and pairs well with the tangy and savory flavors of the lemon and garlic butter sauce.
Serve this yellowtail flounder with potatoes or rice and a simple salad or steamed asparagus. See the full list of What to Serve with Flounder blog post.
Why This Recipe Works
Baked Flounder Recipe with Lemon Butter Garlic Sauce makes a great dinner on a busy weeknight.
The lemon butter garlic sauce adds a rich buttery flavor to the dish, with a subtle tanginess from the lemon and a savory note from the garlic. The sauce also helps to keep the flounder moist and tender during baking. The final dish has a golden brown crust from the light coating of bread crumbs.
This baked flounder with lemon butter garlic sauce is light, fresh, and satisfying. It’s an excellent dish for seafood lovers who enjoy simple yet delicious flavors.
You will also love these fish recipes- Baked Cod, Sea Bass, Salmon Picatta, Baked Stuffed Flounder, Lemon Butter Cod, and Stuffed Salmon.
Table of Contents
Simple Ingredients
Flounder Fillets
- Flounder fillets or sole fish
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Sauce
- Garlic cloves
- Fresh lemon juice
- Lemon zest
- Melted butter
- Coarse fresh breadcrumbs
- Fresh parsley (try tarragon, dill, basil, or rosemary for other fresh flavor options)
- Lemon wedges, for serving
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Baked Flounder
This easy recipe comes together in 10 minutes and has many delicious fresh flavors.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly pat the fish with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Grease a shallow baking dish, cast-iron skillet, or baking sheet with a bit of butter. After the fish is patted dry place the fillets in the baking dish in an even layer and rub with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
Combine garlic, lemon juice, zest, and butter in a small bowl.
Stir to combine.
Pour the lemon-butter mixture over the fish.
Sprinkle the flounder fish with bread crumbs.
Bake for 15-25 minutes or until the fish is cooked and the topping is golden. Cooking time varies slightly depending on the thickness of the fillets. Bake until the fish is cooked through and flakes with a fork.
Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with parsley (or tarragon) and serve with fresh lemon wedges; after plating the fish- spoon sauce from the baking dish on top of the fish. Enjoy! Serve with potatoes or rice and a simple salad and vegetables.
Substitutes for Flounder Fillets
If you’re looking for substitutes for flounder fish, you can consider several options depending on your specific recipe or dish. Some good substitutes for flounder fish include:
- Sole: Sole is a close relative of flounder and has a similar delicate, mild flavor and texture. It can be prepared similarly to flounder and is a good choice for recipes for flounder.
- Cod: Cod is another mild-flavored white fish that can be substituted for flounder. It has a slightly firmer texture than flounder but can be cooked similarly.
- Tilapia: Tilapia is a popular white fish often used as a substitute for other white fish like flounder. It has a mild, slightly sweet flavor and a flaky texture.
- Haddock: Haddock is a slightly firmer white fish than flounder, but it has a similar mild flavor and can be used as a substitute in many recipes.
- Halibut: Halibut is a firm white fish with a slightly sweet flavor. It is a good flounder substitute in recipes requiring a firmer texture.
Ultimately, the best substitute for flounder will depend on the specific recipe or dish you’re making and your personal taste preferences.
Variations
You can make many variations to baked flounder with lemon butter garlic sauce to add more depth of flavor or to suit your personal preferences. Here are some ideas:
- Add herbs: Add fresh herbs to the sauce, such as basil, dill, or thyme. This will add a nice herbal flavor to the dish.
- Spice it up: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce for some heat. This will give the dish a little kick.
- Use different citrus: Instead of lemon, try using lime or orange in the sauce. This will add a slightly different flavor profile to the dish.
- Add wine: You can add a splash of white wine to the sauce for an extra layer of flavor. This will add a subtle sweetness to the sauce.
- Change the butter: Instead of regular butter, try using flavored butter such as garlic butter, herb butter, or even truffle butter. This will add a unique flavor to the dish.
- Cheese: Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of the fish when adding the breadcrumbs for extra flavor.
- Substitute the fish: You can use other mild-flavored white fish such as cod, haddock, or sole instead of flounder.
And if you love baking, you might enjoy making this Baked Chicken Breast at 425.
Equipment
Serve in a beautiful white baking dish.
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How to Store Leftover Fish
To store baked flounder with lemon butter garlic sauce, follow these simple steps:
- Let the dish cool down to room temperature.
- Transfer the leftover fish and sauce to an airtight container.
- Place the container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
When reheating, place the fish and sauce in a baking dish and reheat in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 10-15 minutes or until heated through. You can also reheat it in a microwave, but the fish may become rubbery.
It’s important to note that fish spoils quickly, so it’s best to consume it within a day or two of cooking. Additionally, make sure to refrigerate the fish promptly after cooking.
Top tips
- Flounder fillets can be tough in texture and dry if overcooked. If you buy thin fillets, check for doneness after 10 to 15 minutes.
- Thicker cuts of fish may take longer than 25 minutes to cook through. Check the fillets starting at 20 minutes, even if they are thick, to prevent overcooking.
FAQ’s
The baking time for flounder fillets will depend on the thickness of the fillets. Generally, bake them in a preheated oven at 350°F (190°C) for 12-15 minutes for fillets that are 1/2 inch thick or 15-18 minutes for fillets that are 1 inch thick.
The best way to determine if flounder is done baking is to use a meat thermometer. The internal temperature should reach 145°F (63°C). Another way to tell is to check if the flesh is opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
You don’t need to cover the baking dish when baking flounder fillets, especially when cooking in a butter sauce. However, if you want to keep the fish even more moist, you can cover it with foil during the first half of the cooking time.
Yes, you can bake frozen flounder fillets, but they will take longer to cook. Add 5-7 minutes to the baking time for frozen fillets. It’s also recommended to thaw the fillets in the refrigerator before baking to ensure even cooking.
Flounder is a mild white saltwater fish that is delicious when baked or fried. It has a nice flaky texture when baked this way. Flounder is a flatfish that is low in mercury, making it safe for pregnant women and kids of all ages to enjoy.
For this recipe you do not have to flip the fish during the cooking time but make sure to check it at the 15 minute mark to make sure it’s not overcooked.
More recipes
Looking for other recipes? Here are some ideas:
What to Serve with Baked Flounder Recipe
These are my favorite side dishes to serve with this easy-baked flounder recipe with lemon butter sauce:
Baked Flounder Recipe
This Baked Flounder Recipe with Lemon Butter Garlic Sauce is your new favorite weeknight fish recipe. It is easy to make with little mess to clean and super flavorful! The flounder is mild and slightly sweet with a delicate texture and pairs well with the tangy and savory flavors of the lemon butter garlic sauce.
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
Fish Fillets
- 4 flounder fillets, or sole fish (2 pounds total)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Sauce
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley, finely chopped, for serving (try tarragon for another fresh flavor option)
- 4 slices or wedges of lemon, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly pat the fish with paper towels to remove excess moisture. Grease a shallow baking dish, cast-iron skillet, or baking sheet with a bit of butter. Place the flounder fish fillets in the baking dish in an even layer and rub with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Combine garlic, lemon juice, zest, and butter in a small bowl. Stir to combine. Pour the lemon-butter mixture over the fish. Sprinkle the flounder fish with bread crumbs.
- Bake for 15-25 minutes or until the fish is cooked and the topping is golden. Cooking time varies slightly depending on the thickness of the fillets. Bake until the fish is cooked through and flakes with a fork.
- Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with parsley (or tarragon) and serve with fresh lemon wedges. After plating the fish- spoon sauce from the baking dish on top of the fish. Enjoy! Serve with potatoes, or rice, and a simple salad and vegetables.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Savory
- Method: Italian
- Cuisine: French
This was an amazing recipe. I made it tonight and my husband loved it 😊
Yay! We love it, too, for its simple and fresh taste.
I made this today and loved it! It’s only my second time cooking flounder, and I loved the addition of the breadcrumbs especially. Thank you!
Yes! The breadcrumbs add a special touch!
My favorite way to enjoy white fish! I use Tilapia for this recipe too.
I used talapia with the garlic butter sauce fish recipe. The recipe was super easy to make & so delicious!
Our side dish was roasted red potatoes & broccoli, Italian tomatoes salad with garlic toast.
Thank you, Elena!
Yes! I’ve made with tilapia and it is equally yummy. Happy you loved it.