Whole Baby Flounder with Brown Butter, Capers, Pepperdew and Macadamia Nuts. Beurre noisette, as the French call it, translates to “brown butter”. You boil the butter until the milk solids begin to caramelise, giving the butter a delicious, nutty flavour. Fresh fish loves this sauce.
Serves 6
6 whole baby flounder
1 cup flour, seasoned
cooking oil
250g butter, cubed
2 lemons, juice only, plus extra
½ cup capers, roughly chopped
12 mild pepperdews, roughly
chopped
¾ cup Italian parsley, roughly
chopped
½ cup macadamia nuts, sliced
and toasted
lemon zest, to serve
Preheat your oven to 200°C.
Prepare the flounders in your preferred manner; top skin removed, fins cut off with scissors, or gutting the fish and cooking it whole with skin and head on. Lightly dust the flounders in seasoned flour.
Place a large skillet or sauté pan on medium heat. Add a little cooking oil then cook the flounders flesh side down for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden, turn and repeat. Remove and place on an oven tray, while repeating with the other fish. Place fish in the oven for 5 minutes to finish cooking.
Place butter in a large saucepan and heat to a high temperature. Cook butter until it turns a nut-brown colour. Remove from heat, then arrest the cooking by adding lemon juice. Be aware, it will bubble up when you add the juice. Stir through capers, pepperdews, parsley and macadamias. Adjust seasoning with salt, freshly ground black pepper and additional lemon juice.
Serve flounders on a large platter or separate plates. Douse with burnt butter sauce and add a liberal grating of lemon zest. Accompany with some fried potatoes for the ultimate fish and chips. A green salad on the side won’t go amiss either.