Stuffed Flounder Recipe

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There are plenty of fish in the sea, but one of the tastiest types happens to be flounder. We absolutely love how flaky this fish is when cooked, and the taste is so fresh and so delicious. This crab-stuffed flounder recipe is excellent if you're looking for lighter fare but still want a little decadence. You'll simply load the flounder with a tasty cracker mixture that features crab and a few spices to add some serious flavor. Of course, it also includes a squeeze of lemon, because what fish recipe is complete without it?

Recipe developer Stephanie Rapone came up with this fantastic stuffed flounder recipe that's truly every seafood lover's dream. "This recipe is a very simple way to make fish, and it looks so fancy," she says. "Cooking fish in a skillet can be tricky because you can easily over or undercook it ... wWith this recipe, getting it cooked just right is easy, and the filling keeps it from drying out." Not only will this recipe taste delicious, but it may just strike a sentimental note, too. Rapone says that her inspiration for this dish came from a family tradition: "This recipe reminds me of going out to eat with my grandmother. She loved any sort of seafood and almost always ordered whatever the stuffed fish was and shrimp scampi." 

For this recipe, you'll need flounder filets, crab meat, saltine crackers, paprika, garlic powder, Worcestershire sauce, an egg, lemon, butter, and kosher salt — that's it!

Since you need to use your oven for this recipe, preheat it to 350 F right away. In the meantime, start the prep work by grabbing your saltine crackers. To crush them, Rapone recommends putting them in a plastic bag with a zipper and crushing them in the bag with a meat tenderizer, rolling pin, or big spoon.

Pour the crushed crackers into a bowl and season them with ¼ teaspoon of paprika, salt, and garlic powder. Use a fork to stir. Then, add the Worcestershire sauce, egg, and mayonnaise, and stir to combine.

Grab the lemon and cut it in half. Squeeze one half of the lemon into a bowl, then add the liquid to the cracker mixture and stir to combine with a fork. This adds a nice citrus flavor to the mix. Don't discard the other half of the lemon — simply cut it into four wedges for serving. 

Drain the crab meat to remove any excess liquid, then pick through it, removing any shells or cartilage and discarding them in the trash. "I like the crab that you buy in the seafood section in the containers (not the canned crab in the aisle of the store)," Rapone notes. "It is already cooked and picked from the crab for you but doesn't go through the same preservation process as the crab in the aisle. Fresh would also work great, [it's] just more work!" Next, add the crab to the cracker mixture and stir to combine.

Add the butter to a bowl and microwave until it is melted. Brush about half of the butter inside a 9x13-inch baking dish and save the rest; you'll need it in a moment.

Season each side of the flounder evenly with the remaining salt. Then, spoon the crab mixture evenly onto the top of the flounder fillets. Roll the fish so the cracker mixture stays inside and place in a baking dish with the seam side down. This will prevent the fish from opening and the cracker mixture from coming out. Pour any remaining melted butter over the flounder and add paprika on top, if you wish.

Pop the fish into the preheated oven for about 20 to 25 minutes. You can check to make sure it's done cooking by using a thermometer and ensuring the temperature hits 140 F. You can also test to see if the flounder flakes easily with a fork, which is a good indicator that it's good to go. 

When you remove the fish from the oven, plate as you wish and add a squeeze of lemon. "This recipe is delicious with green beans sauteed in butter and garlic with a squeeze of lemon," Rapone shares.

If you have anything left, unfortunately, it's probably best to pitch it. "I don't recommend eating leftovers of this recipe, as reheating it will really change the texture in a bad way," Rapone says. 

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The air fryer can give you a similar result as the oven in a little less time — 20 minutes is the long end of the cook time, not the short. This method also won't heat up your kitchen like an oven would, making it perfect for hot summer days. For a crispier finish, broil the stuffed flounder for around 10–15 minutes; just keep an eye on it so that you don't burn this delicate fish.

If you want to level up this recipe's decadence, you could bread the rolled flounder filets and deep fry them at 325 F for around 10 minutes. You'll want to use toothpicks or butcher's twine to secure the crab meat, as the roiling oil in the fryer would cause the loosely sealed flounder rolls from this recipe to burst open and expel their filling. Across the world, chefs frequently stuff and pan-fry whole fish (instead of filets) for a more even cook. If you try to bring our recipe directly to the stovetop as-is, the flounder might overcook before the filling moves past lukewarm.

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