Crabmeat, Corn, and Zucchini Stuffed Flounder

Crabmeat, Corn, and Zucchini Stuffed Flounder

Summers living in Rhode Island is a seafood lover’s paradise, where the ocean’s bounty inspires some of my freshest and favorite fish recipes.  Living so close to the water with a fresh fish market a 10 minute walk away means clams, oysters, scallops, and fresh ocean fish are often on the menu — and nothing beats creating a recipe that celebrates it all. My latest favorite?Crabmeat, Corn, and Zucchini Stuffed Flounder. Crabmeat pairs perfectly with tender summer zucchini and bursts of fresh corn, all tucked inside delicate, locally caught flounder fillets. A splash of lemon and a sprinkle of herbs tie together the kind of recipe that reminds me why I'm so lucky to live where the land meets the sea. (This recipe serves 4 people but since there are 2 of us, I freeze the other 2 after cooking.)

4 flounder filets

juice of one lemon

1 T melted butter

1/4 cup white wine

8 oz crabmeat (pasteurized in container in the refrigerator section if fresh is not available)

1/3 cup panko bread crumbs (or Ritz cracker crumbs for extra flavor)

1 egg

1/4 chopped red sweet pepper

1/3 c of grated zucchini

1/4 cup minced onion

1 T fresh chopped chives

1 ear of fresh sweet corn

1/2 T Worcestershire

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning

2 T melted butter

zest of one lemon

1. Beat egg. Zest 1 lemon and add to egg. Set aside.

2. Juice one lemon into a baking dish. Add white wine and melted butter. The rolled fish filets will sit in this sauce.

2. Lightly sauté onion and red pepper until just softened.

3. Cut corn off cob. Grate zucchini and wrap in paper towel to squeeze as much water out of the grated zucchini as you can.

4. Mix corn, chives, peppers, onion, zucchini, melted butter, Worcestershire, Old Bay, and crabmeat into egg mixture. Mix thoroughly.

5. Lay out the flounder filets.

6. Squish about 1/3 cup stuffing together so it holds together and lay on filet. Roll filet around it, pressing in the sides of the stuffing. Place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat with remaining filets.

7. Squish remaining crabmeat mixture together and place atop rolled filets.

8. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes (30 if the flounder filets are thick). Then increase oven temp to 450 and bake another 5 minutes till stuffing topping is nice and browned. 

9. After plating, spoon the lemon/wine mixture in the dish atop the filets. Serve with lemon wedges.