Gorgeous Stuffed Flounder with garlicky, creamy spinach, topped with crunchy panko - let me introduce you to the star of your next dinner party and the easy recipe your whole family will love.
Stuffing flounder with a luxurious creamed spinach filling takes a humble white fish fillet and makes it restaurant-worthy.
I love easy recipes like this one because they take a handful of simple ingredients and use an easy technique like rolling the fish to turn an otherwise ho-hum entree into something any seafood lover would be proud to serve.
Here's what you need to make this recipe:
Before we get to the step by step directions, a few notes about the ingredients:
Fish: flounder is a thin white fish fillet. Dover sole is a great substitute.
Shallot: substitute red or yellow onion, if needed.
Spinach: the recipe calls for frozen spinach to be thawed and squeezed to remove all the water. If using fresh spinach, you'll need a full pound of fresh spinach leaves (about 10-12 cups) to get 1 cup of cooked and drained spinach.
Full ingredient list and measurements included in the printable recipe card below.
Step by step instructions for this recipe:
1. Prep and season flounder
Preheat oven to 400℉. Dry the flounder fillets well with paper towels.
Whole flounder is a quirky fish - producing smaller pieces of fish than many typical white fish fillets. So you may need to lay several fillets side-by-side to form the base of the roll. Place fish fillets flat on a baking sheet or shallow baking pan lined with parchment. Season each filet with salt, pepper and paprika.
2. Prepare spinach filling
In a large skillet or cast iron pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium low heat. Add finely diced shallots and garlic cloves, and a pinch of sea salt and red pepper flakes, if using. Sauté gently until fragrant and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.
Add thawed and drained spinach to the pan and toss briefly. Add the heavy cream, ⅓ cup parmesan and half of the lemon zest. Stir to combine and heat through. Remove from heat.
3. Make crispy topping
In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons parmesan, ½ teaspoon lemon zest, ½ teaspoon oregano and ½ salt. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.
4. Stuff and sprinkle flounder
Spoon about ¼-1/3 cup creamy spinach mixture in the center of each filet. Roll gently, or just fold the filets over the top of the stuffing and tuck under to form a roll. I like to roll the thick side of flounder so it is on the top of the roll, with the seam side down.
Divide the seasoned panko and parmesan topping over the top of the fish fillet rolls.
5. Bake and serve
Carefully transfer the pan to the oven and bake at 400℉ for 12-14 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with lemon wedges.
HUNGRY FOR MORE FRESH FLOUNDER RECIPES?
FAQ's and Serving Suggestions:
I love garlic brown rice and quinoa and lemon and garlic seasoned green beans with this stuffed flounder fillet. Fresh gazpacho salad or a simple Mediterranean tossed salad are also great options.
The parmesan cream in the spinach stuffing is giving you an inside out sauce for the fish. But if you're looking for an extra creamy fish dish, whip up a quick batch of parmesan cream sauce or this lemon butter sauce would also be a winner.
Absolutely. Be sure the seafood is cooked. I think fresh crab meat or shrimp stuffing in the creamy spinach would be delicious, or perhaps a mixture of crabmeat and shrimp together. If you have crawfish or langostino lobster, that would add delicious flavor and texture.
Flounder is part of a group of flatfish species. They are demersal fish, found at the bottom of oceans around the world; some species will also enter estuaries.
You could make homemade breadcrumbs from any odds and ends you have in your freezer - just use a cheese grater or mandolin to grate the frozen bread, then proceed to season as directed in the recipe. Crushing saltine crackers would also make a great topping. In that case, you might melt butter and use it in the place of the olive oil before seasoning the cracker crumbs and topping the fresh seafood. And you always have the option of regular or Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. If using pre-seasoned, just add parmesan and lemon zest, and taste to determine if additional seasoning is required.
You sure can - extra red pepper flakes will add heat to both the filling and the crispy topping. Sprinkling cayenne over the fish or adding hot sauce to the filling will increase the heat. A spicy cajun seasoning would also add heat and flavor.
Dover sole is another thin fish that takes well to rolling around a tasty stuffing. If using a thicker fish like red snapper and salmon that doesn't take well to rolling, cut a slit in the top of the fillet and stuff the pocket with the flavorful filling, then spread it across the top of the fillet before sprinkling the seasoned breadcrumbs on top and baking.
To store, wrap tightly with plastic wrap or transfer to an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Stuffed Flounder Florentine Recipe
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4
Ingredients
For the fish:
4 6-oz fillets of flounder
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the stuffing:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup frozen spinach, drained and thawed
2 shallots, diced
3 garlic cloves, diced
Pinch red pepper flakes
⅓ cup heavy cream
½ cup Parmesan cheese, divided
1 teaspoon lemon zest, divided
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the crunchy topping:
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup Panko breadcrumbs
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉. Dry the flounder fillets well with paper towels. Lay out on a baking sheet or shallow baking dish lined with parchment. Season each filet with salt, pepper and paprika. Set aside.
- In a large skillet or cast iron pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add finely diced shallots and garlic cloves, and a pinch of sea salt and red pepper flakes, if using. Sauté gently until fragrant and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add thawed and drained spinach to the pan and toss briefly. Add the heavy cream, ⅓ cup parmesan and half of the lemon zest. Stir to combine and heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat.
- In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons parmesan, ½ teaspoon lemon zest, ½ teaspoon oregano and ½ teaspoon salt. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.
- Spoon about ¼-1/3 cup creamy spinach mixture in the center of each filet. Roll gently, or just fold the filets over the top of the stuffing and tuck under to form a roll and place seam side down on the pan.
- Divide the seasoned panko and parmesan topping over the top of the fish fillet rolls.
- Carefully transfer the pan to the oven and bake at 400℉ for 12-14 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
Substitute Dover sole for flounder, if needed.
If using fresh spinach, you'll need a pound of spinach leaves to get 1 cup of wilted and drained spinach.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop and Oven
- Cuisine: Italian, American
Kelsey
Made it for my boyfriend for date night and it was perfect! Felt very fancy and the spinach filling was fabulous. Made it with your duchess potatoes. He says I'm basically a chef now!
Christina Jolam
You are DEFINITELY a chef now, Kelsey! Way to go. Sounds like an amazing meal. Thanks so much for coming back to leave a helpful review!