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I enjoy most kinds of fish, but flounder is one of my favorites, because it’s more delicate and has a milder flavor than other whitefish (like baked halibut, cod, or haddock). Instead, this type of fish is light, buttery, and a little sweet. I think you’ll like the change of pace with my easy baked flounder recipe!
Why You’ll Love My Baked Flounder Recipe
- Delicate and flaky, with a mild flavor – The small, delicate flakes practically melt in your mouth! And the mild flavor is perfect if you don’t like a strong fishy taste.
- 6 simple ingredients – Plus salt & pepper. You don’t need a lot to cook flounder! I like to let the natural flavor of the fish shine, and since it’s mild, we don’t want too many strong flavors overpowering it.
- Fuss-free cooking method – Of all the different ways you can make flounder recipes, baking it is my go-to, because its delicate texture can fall apart with many other methods. And I love that it’s mostly hands-off!
- Quick to make – Dinner on the table in 20 minutes? Yes, please! It’s a solid choice for weeknight meals.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for my baked flounder recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Flounder Fish – You can use fresh flounder fillets if you can get them (I’m jealous!). I usually have to buy frozen ones, but the upside is they cost less. Thaw them in cold water, or in the fridge overnight, before cooking.
- Olive Oil – I used regular olive oil, but you can also use extra virgin olive oil, or even avocado oil. I always have all 3 of these on hand, and use them pretty interchangeably.
- Butter – While many of my fish recipes use only olive oil, I opted for a combination of olive oil and melted butter for this flounder recipe. Since it’s a leaner, milder fish than most, I find that it benefits from a little buttery flavor! My butter was unsalted, but you could use salted and just reduce the amount of added salt a bit. If you need to avoid dairy, feel free to just use 2 tablespoons of olive oil instead of 1 tablespoon each of butter and oil.
- Lemon Juice – For a light and bright touch. You can use fresh lemon juice (or even lime juice), or grab bottled for convenience.
- Spices – I season simply with smoked paprika (or regular), garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper. If you like, you can add dried herbs, like thyme or oregano, but I find that too many spices can overpower flounder easily.
How To Cook Flounder
This section shows step-by-step photos together with the instructions, to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Prep. Thaw the fish if it’s frozen, and pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels. Place them on a rimmedsheet pan or in a baking dish, without overlapping.
- Brush. In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, olive oil, and lemon juice. Brush the butter mixture onto both sides of the flounder.
- Season. In a separate small bowl, stir together the paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Season both sides liberally with the seasoning mixture.
- Bake. Cook the flounder recipe in the oven until it flakes easily with a fork. You can serve it as-is, but I like to garnish with lemon wedges and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
Expert Tips
- Don’t crowd the pan. Make sure to leave space between the fillets, so that they cook evenly. Crowding will increase the baking time, but even worse, leads to uneven cooking.
- You can pre-mix the seasonings, or season individually. In this flounder recipe, I said to mix the seasonings together and sprinkle them onto the fillets all at once. This method is more convenient, because you don’t have to split each individual spice amount in two (for each side of the fish). But, it’s an extra dish to wash, so often times I just sprinkle on the seasonings directly. Once you get the hang of the amounts, you can even eyeball them.
- Use a meat thermometer. Time can vary depending on the thickness of the fish, so for best results, check the thickest part with a meat thermometer after 10 minutes. The ideal internal temperature for moist, flaky flounder is 135-140 degrees F. You can cook it to 145 degrees F, but in my experience it starts to get dry by then. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test for doneness by flaking with fork — just don’t wait until it looks dry.
- Remove from the pan gently. Since flounder is so delicate, it can fall apart easily. I recommend using a fish spatula to transfer it to plates for serving.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: When reheating, I like to bake flounder at 325 degrees F until warm, as the lower temperature is less drying. The microwave, at low power and in short intervals, works okay, but it’s more likely to be overcooked.
- Freeze: Place in an airtight container or zip lock bag, removing as much air as possible, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Serving Ideas
Since the flavor is so mild and neutral, flounder recipes like mine go with just about any side dish! Here are some easy ideas I make often:
- Roasted Vegetables – You can roast veggies that cook at the same temperature together with this flounder recipe, and just swap the positions of the pans as needed. Oven roasted asparagus takes almost the same amount of time, so that’s my favorite option. You can also make roasted broccoli or roasted cauliflower, which take a little longer than the fish (so just get them started first), or air fry cauliflower for a faster side.
- Other Vegetables – If you want to make your side dish using a different method, try my crispy fried zucchini, quick and easy air fryer zucchini, or use up whatever you have on hand with mixed sauteed veggies.
- Starches – For a more filling meal, whip up some rice or a baked sweet potato. I make cauliflower rice or cauliflower mash more often, which satisfy the craving for me.
- Salads – Baked flounder pairs well with just about any salad for a light meal. I recently loved it over my Cobb salad (instead of chicken) after I tried a similar combo at a restaurant. It’s also yummy alongside light, fresh spring and summer salads, like my Mediterranean salad, strawberry spinach salad, or burrata salad.
- Sauce – I don’t think it absolutely needs it, but a light sauce goes nicely with the mild fish if you want to get fancy. I drizzled the fish with my lemon butter sauce once and it was amazing!
More Baked Fish Recipes
Baking fish makes the perfect weeknight meal. Here are more of my easy ways to serve it:
Baked Haddock
Oven Baked Salmon
Baked Tilapia
Baked Rainbow Trout
- Baking Sheet– Mine is still going strong after years of use. I love that the corrugated surface doesn’t stick and even helps circulate air a bit.
- Meat Thermometer – My favorite for making sure meats and fish cook to the right temperature without overcooking.
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Recipe Card
Baked Flounder Recipe (Easy, Flaky, Fast!)
This baked flounder recipe makes flaky, buttery fish in 20 minutes! You only need a few simple ingredients: olive oil, butter, lemon & spices.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com
Servings: 4 (adjust to scale recipe)
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Ingredients
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C). Pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
In a small bowl, whisk together melted butter, olive oil, and lemon juice. Brush the butter mixture onto both sides of each fish fillet.
In a separate small bowl, stir together the paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Season both sides liberally with the seasoning mixture.
Bake flounder in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until the fish flakes easily with a fork or reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F (60 degrees C). (You can cook to 145 degrees F if you like, but it’s more moist and tender at 140 degrees F.) Time can vary depending on the thickness of the fish, so check at 10 minutes.
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 flounder fillet
Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.
Calories159
Fat9.1g
Protein17.9g
Total Carbs1.3g
Net Carbs0.9g
Fiber0.4g
Sugar0.3g
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
Course:Main Course
Cuisine:American
Keywords:baked flounder, baked flounder recipe, cook flounder, flounder recipe
Calories: 159 kcal
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Baked Flounder Recipe
