Cooking whole flounder

Is it like skinning a catfish? I've only filleted.

Yep, its like skinning a catfish. Make a small cut behind the head to the sides of the fish. Then follow the outline of the fish with the cut. Pliers and pull from head to tail. Both sides. Doesn't have to be deep, just to separate the skin.

I filet them whole and stuff them. You need a long, thin knife to do this. Remove the head, guts and scales. Put the white side down on your cutting board, run the knife down the centerline of the dark skin to the tail and filet the meat from the bone, but stop short of the outer fins.

Then go under the bones between them and the white side and filet outward to the fin bones. Then take a pair of scissors and cut the bones away from the fin bones. You are now left with a whole fish that you can stuff by putting your stuffing on the bottom side meat and fold the upper flaps over it and bake.

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REB BEER

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wow that looks awesome

That looks good. Going to try it next time I catch some flounder

Is that the pocket method?

I like to make it boneless at the filet table, then scale it, stuff it and eat skin on there is no better way to eat IMO.

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I like to make it boneless at the filet table, then scale it, stuff it and eat skin on there is no better way to eat IMO.

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My previous post did not specify but this is how we do it... leave the skin on and make a boneless pocket filet. Then we put the crab and shrimp inside. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

My husband caught a flounder on one of his fishing trips, and I used this recipe to make it, obviously scaling the recipe down to enough for 1 fish. It was delicious:

Nathaniel Burton's Stuffed Flounder?PREP TIME: 1 Hour?SERVES: 6




COMMENT:?Nathaniel Burton was born in McComb, Mississippi in 1914. Starting as a busboy at the Hotel New Orleans, he has worked at many fine places including Hotel Pontchartrain. He has taught apprentice cooks at the Culinary Institute at Hyde Park and has lectured and done demonstrations at Cornell University Hotel School.
INGREDIENTS:
• 6 (1 lb) flounder, deboned
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 cup onion, minced
• 1 cup celery, minced
• 1/2 cup each red and green bell pepper, minced
• 1/4 cup garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup cream
• 1 lb lump crabmeat
• seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup water
• salt and pepper to taste
METHOD:?Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Have your seafood supplier scale, dehead and thoroughly clean 6 flounder. Using a sharp paring knife, cut a slit down the center of the dark side of the flounder from head to tail. Following the rib bone, form a pocket with the knife blade down each side to the fins. This pocket will serve as the receptacle for the stuffing. Season the flounder well, inside and out, using salt and pepper. In a large saute pan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, bell pepper and garlic and saute 2 to 3 minutes, or until vegetables are wilted. Deglaze with wine and reduce to 1/2 volume. Add cream, bring to a rolling boil, reduce to simmer and add crabmeat, blending well into the vegetable mixture. Season to taste using salt and pepper. Sprinkle in breadcrumbs one cup at a time until stuffing consistency is achieved. The more breadcrumbs added, the more "bread-like" the stuffing becomes. I prefer as little breadcrumbs as possible to hold the product together. Remove from heat and fold in Parmesan cheese and adjust seasonings if necessary. Place the 6 flounder on a large cookie sheet and divide stuffing equally between each fish. You may wish to add a slice of lemon and a sprinkle of Paprika on top of the stuffing in each pocket. Add the remaining wine and water to the bottom of the sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until stuffing is heated throughout. Serve immediately.