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    Home » Recipes » Seafood Recipes

    Easy Flounder Francaise Recipe

    Published: May 18, 2023 by Chef Dennis Littley

    785 shares
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    5 from 39 votes
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    Pinterest image for flounder francaise.

    Flounder Francaise is a delicious restaurant-quality recipe that can easily be made in your home kitchen. Dipped in a seasoned egg batter and sauteed till golden brown, this delicate flounder dish is served with a buttery lemon white wine sauce that elevates it to another level of deliciousness.

    flounder francaise with lemon butter sauce and lemon circles on a white plate

    The term Francaise makes you think that this is a French dish. Actually, Chicken Francaise was developed in upstate New York by an Italian – American chef for his restaurant.

    The dish became wildly popular and even found its way to restaurants in Italy. You’ll also see the spelling as Francese, making this dish Flounder Francese.

    flounder francaise with lemon butter sauce and lemon circles on a white plate

    This classic Italian-American seafood dish combines delicate flounder fillets with a luscious lemon-butter sauce, creating a symphony of flavors that the whole family will love!

    Table of Contents:
    • Ingredients to make Flounder Francaise
    • How to make Flounder Francaise
    • How to make Lemon Butter Sauce
    • Recipe FAQ’s
    • More Recipes You’ll Love!
    • Recipe: Flounder Francaise

    Ingredients to make Flounder Francaise

    ingredients to make recipe.

    Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Flounder Francaise. In Chef Speak, this is called the “Mise en Place,” which translates to “Everything in its Place.”

    Not only does setting up your ingredients ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

    How to make Flounder Francaise

    collage showing how to set up to make recipe.
    • Add the flour, salt, and black pepper to one bowl and mix well.
    • Add the lightly beaten eggs, water, Romano cheese, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, and chopped parsley to a bowl and mix all the ingredients together. This is the egg batter, aka egg wash.
    • Dredge the flounder in the seasoned flour, fully coating the fillet.
    • Dip the floured flounder into the egg wash mixture and completely coat the fillet.
    collage showing how to cook recipe.
    • Add the butter and olive oil to a large frying pan or large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat
    • When the pan is hot, add the battered flounder to the hot pan. Cook for 2 -3 minutes per side until the cutlet is golden brown.
    flounder francaise draining on wire rack.

    Transfer the Flounder Francaise to a wire rack or paper towels to drain. Then place the flounder on a baking sheet or casserole and place them on the middle rack of 350 degree preheated oven to finish cooking while you make the lemon butter sauce.

    flounder francaise with lemon circles on a white plate

    The light egg batter makes a delicious crispy coating that turns plain flounder into a culinary masterpiece. You won’t believe how easy it is to create this restaurant quality recipe.

    How to make Lemon Butter Sauce

    collage showing how to make lemon butter sauce.
    • Add two tablespoons of butter to a small saucepan over medium heat. Then add the chopped shallots to the pan and cook for one minute.
    • Add the chicken broth, white wine, and lemon juice to the saucepot and bring to a light boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
    • Roll the butter pieces in the flour to make the beurre manie.
    • Add the beurre manie to the pan and whisk it to thicken the lemon butter sauce.
    • Taste and reseason with salt and pepper if necessary and add the chopped Italian parsley to the sauce.
    • Mix the parsley into the sauce and serve with the flounder francese.

    The sauce can be made ahead of time and reheated when you are ready to serve. Don’t add the parsley to the sauce until you are ready to serve.

    flounder francaise with lemon butter sauce and lemon circles on a white plate

    Thanks to my step-by-step instructions, you can now recreate this culinary masterpiece in your own kitchen. So, grab your apron, gather the ingredients, and prepare to indulge in the delectable world of Flounder Francaise.

    I know after one bite I know you’ll agree this is the best Flounder Francaise Recipe!

    Recipe FAQ’s

    What is Flounder Francaise

    Flounder Francaise is a popular Italian-American seafood dish originating in upstate New York. It typically consists of flounder fillets that are dipped in a beaten egg mixture, then sautéed. Served with a buttery sauce made with lemon juice, white wine, and sometimes capers.

    Can I use other fish to make this dish?

    Yes, you can. Other white fish fillets such as sole, tilapia, catfish, or cod as a substitute for flounder in the Francaise recipe

    Can I make Flounder Francaise Gluten Free?

    Yes, you can. Simply replace the all-purpose flour with cup4cup gluten-free flour.

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    flounder francaise with lemon butter sauce and lemon circles on a white plate
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    5 from 39 votes

    Flounder Francaise

    Dipped in a seasoned egg batter and sauteed till golden brown, Flounder Francaise is served with a buttery lemon white wine sauce that elevates it to another level of deliciousness.
    Prep Time15 minutes mins
    Cook Time15 minutes mins
    Total Time30 minutes mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 755kcal

    Ingredients

    Flounder

    • 16 oz flounder filets 2-4 fillets depending upon their size.
    • ½ cup flour
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil -for frying
    • 2 tablespoon unsalted butter -for frying

    Batter

    • 2 large eggs
    • 3 tablespoon water
    • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon Romano cheese -grated
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon onion powder
    • 2 teaspoon fresh Italian parsley -finely chopped

    Lemon Butter Sauce

    • 1 tablespoon shallots -finely minced. (or use garlic)
    • ¼ cup dry white wine
    • ¾ cup chicken broth
    • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 4 tablespoon unsalted butter -divided: 2 tablespoon to saute the garlic and 2 tablespoon to thicken the sauce.
    • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour -to roll butter in to make beurre manie.
    • ½ teaspoon Italian parsley -finely chopped
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    Flounder

    • Use paper towels to pat dry the flounder filets.

    Batter and Cook

    • Add the flour, salt and black pepper to one bowl and mix well.
    • Add the lightly beaten eggs, water, Romano cheese, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, and chopped parsley to a bowl and mix all the ingredients together. This is the egg batter aka egg wash.
    • Add the butter and olive oil to a large frying pan on medium-high heat
    • Dredge the flounder in the seasoned flour, fully coating the fillet.
    • Dip the floured flounder into the egg wash mixture and completely coat the fillet.
    • When the pan is hot, add the battered flounder to the hot pan. Cook for 2 -3 minutes per side until the battered fillet is golden brown.
    • Place the prepared flounder onto a baking sheet or casserole and place them on the middle rack of 350 degree preheated oven to finish cooking while you make the lemon butter sauce.
      *The sauce will only take 5 minutes to prepare, which is all the time the flounder needs to finish cooking.

    Lemon Butter Sauce

    • Add two tablespoons of butter to a small saucepan over medium heat.
    • Add the garlic to the pan and cook for one minute.
    • Add the chicken broth, white wine, and lemon juice to the saucepot and bring to a light boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low.
    • Add the beurre manie (the butter pieces rolled in flour) to the pan and whisk it to thicken the lemon butter sauce.
    • Taste and reseason with salt and pepper if necessary and add the chopped Italian parsley to the sauce.
    • Remove the flounder Francaise from the oven and serve with the lemon butter sauce.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 755kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 56g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 290mg | Sodium: 1167mg | Potassium: 522mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1285IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askChefDennis or tag #askChefDennis!

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    About Chef Dennis

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    Chef Dennis Littley is a classically trained chef with over 40 years of experience working in the food service industry. In his second career as a food blogger he has made it his mission to demistify cooking by sharing his time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen. Let Chef Dennis help you bring the joy of cooking into your home. For more details, check out his About page.

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    1. Kelli A.

      September 20, 2023 at 7:16 pm

      5 stars
      I made this recipe and substituted mahi for flounder and shallots for garlic. I used Voga Pinot Grigio for the dry white wine. It was so dang good that we practically licked our plates clean.

      Reply
    2. Tirrill Parker

      May 23, 2023 at 10:28 am

      How many fillets? Is each one 16 ounces?

      Reply
      • Chef Dennis Littley

        May 23, 2023 at 10:49 am

        It all depends on their size, It can be 2-4 fillets. I try to find fillets that are close to 4 ounces each, but they can be a little bigger or a little smaller.

        Reply
    3. Michael Lagana

      May 20, 2023 at 6:59 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious. You always have the Best recipes!

      Reply

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