Stuffed Flounder served with Parmesan Noodles and Lemon Parsley Carrots

(This was from last week's menu. I just got a chance to upload the photos.)

Flounder Spinach Roll-Ups

I actually posted this flounder recipe some time ago, but although we love flounder I wasn't too crazy about this particular recipe. I felt it needed some slight alteration when it came to seasoning. This time I added a little more seasoning (salt and pepper) and sauteed the mushrooms and spinach in butter instead of oil. Both of these changes went a long way to improving the dish's taste. We all really enjoyed it this time and I had fun adding some different sides.

Click here for the Flounder Spinach Roll-Ups recipe.

Parmesan Noodles:

1. Cook any type of noodle. I used elbow macaroni for 8 min.

2. Add a little butter and toss with grated Parmesan cheese.

3. Serve with a little cracked black pepper and a dash of salt.

Lemon Parsley Carrots

(Adapted from Better Homes & Garden: New Cookbook, 1953, pg 360)

1. Cook carrots (I used canned, though next time I plan to use fresh). To cook add carrots to a small pan and cook covered in a very small amount of boiling, salted water for 15-25 minutes.

2. Combine 3 TBS butter, 2 TBS chopped parsley, and 1 TBS lemon juice.

3. Drain cooked carrots and toss with the butter/lemon/parsley sauce. Serve hot.

*Note: Butter might be reduced to 2TBS depending on the number of carrots used. Lemon juice could be reduced to 2 tsp for less tartness.

The finished dishes:

Flounder Spinach Roll-Ups

Last night I made the second of two recipes I came upon in the Easy Solutions magazine/coupon book that our local grocery store hands out. Both were for Flounder and both were excellent. You could substitute chicken for the fish and I think it would taste just as good, but if you're willing to try the fish I highly recommend it.

"Fresh flounder is mild, delicate and sweet. It taste faintly like the ocean, with a light and breezy flavor. For people who prefer meat, flounder is usually acceptable. And for young children who've never tried fresh fish before, flounder is the perfect introduction to seafood."

I buy my fresh flounder at Costco in the bulk fillet packs. It's cheaper than the pre-packaged frozen and allows me to decide what I want fresh and what I want to freeze and store for later.

Flounder Spinach Roll-Ups

Preparation: 15 minutes

Cooking: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

8 large mushrooms, sliced (I used portabella)

8 oz fresh spinach chopped (I used frozen, I didn't like it as well as fresh, but it works in a pinch)

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 TBS vegetable oil

3 TBS crumbled feta cheese

4 flounder fillets

4 wedges of lemon

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On stove, heat a pan to medium heat and add vegetable oil, then garlic to soften. Add the mushrooms and cook 5 minutes, stirring, and until the liquid released has evaporated. Add spinach and cook another 2 minutes until wilted. Take pan off heat and drain excess liquid. Sprinkle feta over mixture and toss thoroughly. Assemble the Roll-Ups by dividing the vegetables in four portions, placing one portion at each flounder fillet end then carefully rolling up. Secure with toothpicks and place fish rolls, seam side down, in an oiled baking dish. Add 2 TBS of water and loosely cover baking dish with foil Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until fish flakes easily and is entirely opaque. Serve with lemon wedges, salt and pepper to taste.

I wanted my fish to be a little more golden, so after baking I turned on the broiler and let them sit under it for a couple minutes.

Spring ahead with a light salad

It's getting warmer here and I thought a nice light salad might be a good recipe to post. I can't wait to try this one...

Salmon-Asparagus Salad

1 lb. fresh asparagus, diagonally cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 lb. salmon fillets
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. red pepper
6 cups mixed salad greens
3 plum tomatoes sliced
1 cub shredded carrots
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
14 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup bottled vinaigrette dressing (or homemade)

Arrange asparagus in a steamer basket over boiling water; cover and steam 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Sprinkle salmon with salt and peppers. Grill, covered with grill lid, over high heat 10 to 12 minutes per inch of thickness or until fish flakes with a fork. Flake salmon into chunks and plate over mixed greens. Toss with tomatoes, carrots, goat cheese, pine nuts; drizzle with vinaigrette.

Serves 6
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min

* Option: Use pre-grilled or smoked salmon to save prep time.
* Optional Subsitute feta for goat cheese

Sprucing Up...

Tuna fish.

I really like canned tuna fish (although my one occasion of freshly-caught deep sea tuna opened a whole new world for me). I grew up eating tuna fish made with mayonnaise, dill pickles, and boiled egg. Later in life my mother started putting in apples and sweet pickles, which was an absolute desecration of a good dish. Not that I said that, in so many words, to my mother.

Recently I came across a great recipe for grilled tuna-fish sandwiches, along the lines of grilled-cheese. It even froze well (pre-grilled, of course). I'll look for the recipe.

Nowadays, I do half and half mayonnaise and sour cream, and throw in a dash of garlic and celery salt. And dill pickles, of course. If you cut the sandwiches into little triangles and have a picnic on the living room floor, it suddenly become delicious to kids, too.

-- SJ