← Back to Home

BAKED

Crab-Stuffed Flounder

Serves 4 · 45 minutes

Why this recipe works

A thin fillet cooks faster than a stuffing can brown, so the crab mixture is chilled until it holds, then covered with buttery panko and parsley. The crust turns gold while the fish stays moist, and lemon at the table brightens the crab.

Substitutions

Another thin fillet from the counter, such as a small snapper fillet pounded gently so it rolls. Keep the lump crab. Imitation crab will not taste like this.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces lump crab meat, picked over for bits of shell
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon melted butter, plus 3 tablespoons for the topping
• 1 small celery rib, minced
• 2 tablespoons minced red bell pepper
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• Pinch of cayenne
• 4 thin flounder fillets, about 5 ounces each
• 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• Lemon wedges

Steps

1. Mix the crab, mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon melted butter, celery, bell pepper, green onions, lemon zest, Dijon, salt, and cayenne. Cover and chill 20 minutes so the filling firms up and stays put inside the roll. Use real lump crab, not a shredded imitation.
2. Heat the oven to 400 F. Pat the fillets dry. If one is too thick to roll, slice it horizontally through the middle.
3. Spoon a quarter of the cold filling across the wider end of each fillet and roll it up. Set the rolls seam side down in a buttered baking dish.
4. Stir the panko, parsley, and the remaining 3 tablespoons melted butter. Pat that mixture over the rolls.
5. Bake until the topping is deep gold and the fillet itself, not the already-cooked crab, reads about 145 F, usually 15 to 18 minutes.
6. Rest 3 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

RecipesFish counterFried catfishFish sandwichesShrimp and oystersJumbo lump crab meatParty traysSeafood pricesQuestionsAs Seen on KPRC 2Inside the KitchenVisitFull menu