Anyone else out there love a mild white fish as much as I do? I really love flounder, and specifically yellowtail flounder which is almost never available. But have no fear, any type of flounder or sole will work for this fish fry. The key is to make sure you're cooking small pieces of fish so they don't break apart when you turn them in the pan. You need only flounder, McCormick Fish Fry powder and olive oil. There is no egg dipping or flour coating involved. McCormick Fish Fry Flounder is my favorite meal, above all others and I'm so happy to share this simple gourmet meal with you.
McCormick Fish Fry Flounder: The Whole Meal, The Whole Deal
The reason this meal is my favorite is because of the fish (of course) but also because of what I have come to love pairing with it. Basmati rice, pico de gallo (salsa), and chopped avocado. That's it. It's so simple and so delicious. And since I fry the fish in olive oil, it's a healthier option than a battered fried fish. The meal is actually very light and is a total crowd pleaser.
About the pic de gallo. I have particular preferences when it comes to blended salsa and a pico de gallo salsa. This recipe simply doesn't work with a blended type of salsa. My favorite store-bought, blended salsa is On The Border (mild). That would not work for this recipe. This recipe calls for a pico type of salsa. When I have the time, I will make my homemade salsa which is really more of a pico de gallo. When I don't have time, I use Sister's Salsa which is made in New England and is so damn good. I am not being paid to promote this product - I just LOVE it so much and want to spread the word. So if you have time, you can make your own and if you don't have time, choose your favorite store-bought brand.
Flounder or Sole: The Perfect White Fish for This Dish
In New England, flounder seems to get over-fished at times which means I can't find it anywhere. When this happens, I switch to sole for this recipe. Either of these thin, white fish options works great for this recipe. Sometimes flounder are huge and I have to cut the pieces, other times the pieces are already small and I use it as is. As recommended in the recipe instructions below, you don't really want your fish pieces larger that about 5 inches. Remember, flounder and sole are delicate pieces of fish. If your pieces are too big they will fall apart when you turn them. Please keep this in mind.
I bought my flounder at a fish market and it was totally fresh - never been frozen. This is my favorite way to buy it and cook it fresh. However, I wasn't ready to film my video yet, so I froze it until I was. The seafood counters at our local grocery stores sell mostly previously frozen fish. This is fine too. If you have frozen fish, leave it in your refrigerator overnight to defrost.
McCormick Fish Fry Flounder is Pretty Versatile
As you can see, I made quite a lot of fish for this. Since this is my all-time favorite meal I tend to make a big batch of it. What's great is you could actually use the fish to make fish tacos too. You could chop the cooked fish lengthwise twice for three strips of fish. Then stuff it in a small soft shell taco. The avocado and pico work great on top of that. I chopped scallions for this, but if you're making tacos and you also love cilantro (I know, they're not many of us) you could use that for a topping as well. If you've got sour cream - a dollop of that would be awesome too. Got leftovers? Great! Fish sandwiches with tartar sauce for lunch on hamburger buns!
All the Easy Steps to Making McCormick Fish Fry Flounder
Still Hungry for More Seafood? I Gotcha Covered:
- How to Crack Open a Lobster and Get the Meat
- Awesome Buttery Lobster Rolls
- Baked Dover Sole w/Lemons & Onion
- Pan Seared Sea Scallops w/Basil Brown Butter, Asparagus & Farfalle
- Honey Butter Bourbon Shrimp
- Warm Shrimp & Gorgonzola Dip w/Herbed Crostini
- Garlic Shrimp Crostini w/Romesco & Parmesan
McCormick Fish Fry Flounder
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 portions 1x
Description
This is my absolute favorite meal in the world. McCormick fish fry flounder with pico de gallo, avocado and basmati.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds of flounder (see note #1)
- 1 cup McCormick Fish Fry Powder (more as needed)
- 2 cups pico de gallo salsa (homemade or your favorite store bought)
- 2-3 avocados, chopped
- ¼ cup chopped scallion, optional garnish
- 3-4 lemons, cut in wedges
- 2 cups of olive oil for frying, divided (more as needed)
For the basmati rice
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon salt
NOTE: The cook time is 30 minutes including the cooking of the rice. The fish cooking time is only about 5-6 minutes.
Instructions
- You should start your rice at the beginning of the process. Plan your time so everything is ready together.
- If your fish comes in larger pieces, cut them into smaller sections like the size in my video. About 5” in length is good. The pieces need to be smaller because thin white fish is delicate to cook and turn. Larger pieces will fall apart and get messy.
- Add olive oil to two large pans. It’s easier to cook the fish in batches between the two pans. Put enough oil in each pan to just barely coat the bottom of the pan. It doesn’t take too long for the oil to heat, so turn your burners on half way through dredging the fish.
- Put the McCormick Fish Fry powder in a wide bowl. Put your cut pieces of fish on one sheet pan and have another large plate or sheet pan to transfer the coated pieces. Dredge all your fish in the Fish Fry making sure to coat on both sides.
- Once all the fish is coated and oil heated, gently place the fish in the pan. The first batch always takes a little longer to cook. Generally, you’ll want to cook the fish on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. It should start to brown around the edges when it’s ready to turn.
- Do not use tongs to turn the fish – the pieces will break. Two small spatulas (or tablespoons if that’s what you have) work best here. Gently turn the fish and cook another 2 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked fish to a paper towel lined sheet pan. If you want to have your oven on a warming temperature to store the fish while you finish the process that is fine. I don’t usually do this, but you can if you want to.
- While the fish cools a couple of minutes, you can easily cut your lemon wedges, scallion (if using) and avocado. If you prefer you can cut the lemon and scallion at the beginning of the process too. It’s up to you. The avocado should be the very last thing you cut. They turn brown very easily so I always do this right before serving.
- I usually plate the rice, add the fish, pico de gallo, avocado and lemon wedge. My video shows this well. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use as much fish as you want depending on how many people you are feeding. Two pounds will feed about 4-6 people. I may have slightly more than two pounds that I cooked. Any flat white fish works great for this. I use regular flounder – or yellowtail flounder if that have it, but sole is very similar and works great too. I haven’t tried it with tilapia, but that is also a thin fish and seems like it would work too. I don’t think it would be ideal with a thick fish like Cod, Scrod, or Halibut.
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