Easy and tasty, this is one happy dish. Of course, frying is rarely without a mess, but fish cooks quickly and this is NOT deep frying. Just use enough oil to come up a bit on the sides of the fillets. If Flounder isn't available or looks a bit sketchy, Whiting makes a great substitute. Lemon Sole and Tilapia work as well. Remember, it's all about freshness.
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup dried bread crumbs (I prefer unseasoned)
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1-2 pounds flounder fillets
2 lemons
1/4 cup canola oil
In a shallow dish, combine flour, bread crumbs, and half of the salt and pepper, set aside. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, (preferably non stick) heat canola oil. Trim fillets into pieces small enough to flip, about 4-6 inches. Plan to cook about 5 pieces per batch.
Squeeze the first batch with lemon then season with a bit of salt and pepper. Immediately dredge in flour mixture, shake off excess, and slip into the hot oil. Fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes, then flip. If desired, squeeze more lemon onto fish. Be careful, the oil will splatter a bit. Cook until done, about 3 minutes longer. Drain on grill over baking sheet or paper towels. Repeat until done. If doing more than two batches, replace or clean the oil to prevent burning.
This is great with a salad, corn, Bajan pepper sauce and a frosty Red Stripe. Leftovers make terrific sandwiches. (Try Lottie's Traditional Barbados Yellow Hot Sauce which you can order by clicking here or visiting www.hotnbottled.com.) If you prefer wine, and you know I do, try Casal Garcia's Vinho Verde, which retails at about 8 bucks. And, of course, Lemonade is a natural. Cheers!
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