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Flounder and Fennel with Lemon and Oranges

Flounder And Fennel With Lemon And Oranges

 The older I get, the harder it becomes to shed those extra pounds. It seems like the resolve I had to lose weight at the beginning of the year is always thwarted by another dinner party, another restaurant meal, another gift of chocolates or some other temptation that I’ve been given.

I confess I’m not very good at resisting all these treats, but in an attempt to ameliorate the extra calories that pile on, I cook a meal like this and it helps assuage any guilt.
But I don’t make this meal just because of the lower caloric load. It’s also because it just tastes so delicious. The fish was caught locally off New Jersey shores and that helps. The short cooking time and technique also ensures you’ll have a flaky and moist piece of fish to serve. It’s quick and easy enough to prepare for a weeknight meal, but good enough for company too.
Start by buttering an ovenproof dish and slicing fennel into “matchsticks.” Salt and pepper the fennel,  then cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake for about 10 minutes at 475 degrees F.
Remove from the oven then place the fish on top of the fennel.
Scatter a little butter on top (I used less than 1 T. for two servings), season the fish, and place slices of lemon and orange on top. Squeeze more juice and some white wine over all and bake for 10 minutes.
Sprinkle a little parsley on top, serve with a side of veggies and enjoy a no-guilt meal.

 

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Flounder and Fennel with Lemon and Oranges
printable recipe here

For Two Servings:

Two pieces of flounder or fluke (about 6 oz. each)
1/2 fennel bulb
1 T. butter
1 clementine or small orange
1 lemon
1/4 cup dry white wine
salt, pepper
minced parsley

Lightly grease an ovenproof pan with a little of the 1 T. butter. You’ll use the rest of the butter on the fish later.
Slice the fennel into “matchstick” size pieces. Scatter them in the pan, season with salt and pepper and cover with a piece of aluminum foil. Bake in a 475 degree oven for 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven, and place the fish over the fennel. Season with salt and pepper and squeeze the juice of half a clementine or small orange, and half a lemon over the top. Pour 1/4 cup dry white wine over the fish and dab with the rest of the 1 T. butter.
Cover with the aluminum foil and place back in the oven for 10 minutes, or until fish is cooked through and flaky. It may take less than 10 minutes if your fish pieces are thin, so check after five or six minutes)

 

This Post Has 16 Comments
  1. Cannot take off 2015 weight. Hugely frustrating. I am also doing fish. I will put this on rotation – I love citrus in the winter – it just perks me up. And the fennel is a bonus taste!

  2. So simple and appetizing. I like the method of roasting the fennel first and then using it as a bed for the fish. Also, I am in love with that pan. What brand is it? Thanks for the inspiration. I've just been writing about (and consuming) chestnut fritters so I really need this!

  3. All the flavors that I love — now all we have to do is have the fishing improve and hubby catch some flounder. This will be the first recipe I make with our flounder. Looks and sound fantastic. Thank you for sharing!!

  4. Ha ha, I was going to say the same thing about the pan, I love the wide brim, it sort of looks like a paella pan. I haven't had flounder in a long time, but it won't compare to how fresh yours is. Such a nice, light, flavorful and very healthy meal.

  5. This sure looks yummy. I've made fish and fennel before, but not with the orange and lemon, which sounds like a nice way to brighten the dish and balance out the 'softness' of the other ingredients. Will definitely try this one.

  6. Domenica /Marie – Thanks. That pan is about 40 years old and I got it through some promotion of a product years and years ago, where I sent in boxtops and about $5.00. I can't even remember what the product was, but the pan is copper and I also got another one (more oval than round) under the same promotion.

  7. I can just smell the amazing aroma of your kitchen with the sautéed fennel. I know what you mean about the challenge of losing extra pounds the older we get. Fish is always such a wonderful way to eat whether losing weight or not . . . so fresh and healthy!

  8. Only recently have a found a regular reliable source of fennel. I just love it and — even better — got my husband to like it too. The last dish I made with it was a hgh caloric gratin with potatoes. Delicious, but so much cream and butter, too. This fish dish would be hard to resist, dieting or not.

  9. Oh boy, tell me about those extra pounds… plus I just seem to be finding the most delightful food products lately, so there is no cutting back anyhow.

    This sounds like a lovely dish. I do not eat fish, but Bart loves it, so it is great to find recipes that I know will work, and I can always trust yours. He'll love this. The fennel sound so nice here.

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