Stuffed Flounder Florentine is a delicious restaurant-quality dish that is perfect for a date night dinner or fancy dinner party. Yet easy enough to make a family for a week-night dinner.
Mild flaky flounder stuffed with a mixture of spinach and cheese, baked to perfection in a mornay sauce, is a classic stuffed flounder recipe that won’t break the bank but impress your guests with its simple elegance.
And the great part is, that it takes almost no time to prep! And did I mention it was OMG delicious?
If you love flounder, my Crabmeat Stuffed Flounder and Fried Flounder are two of my favorite recipes.
What ingredients do I need to make Stuffed Flounder Florentine?
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Stuffed Flounder Florentine. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Can I make this dish with other fish?
Absolutely! You can use any mild white fish fillets that you like. Tilapia, sole, perch, walleye, and even catfish are good fish to stuff. The fillets just need to be thin enough to roll.
How do I make Stuffed Flounder Florentine?
- Saute the baby spinach in a little olive oil, and let the spinach cook down completely (add a little water if necessary); this should only take a few minutes.
- Place the spinach in a colander to drain. When it’s completely cooled, squeeze out any remaining water. It should be moist, just not wet.
How do I make Bรฉchamel and Mornay Sauce?
- In a saucepan, melt the butter, then add in the flour and mix well to make a roux. Allow the roux to cook on low heat for about 5 minutes to cook the flour.
- Add your heated stock to the roux to make a bechamel.
- Remove ยผ cup of the bechamel to add to your spinach.
- Add the milk, and allow to cook for a few minutes. If the sauce is too thick, it can be thinned out with a little more milk or water. You have now made a Velouteโ.
- Add the shredded cheddar (or cheese of your choice) and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- You now have made this into a Mornay sauce. Set aside and allow to cool.
How do I stuff flounder?
The first step is to mix the cheese, spinach, roasted red peppers, and bechamel sauce together to make the stuffing mix for the flounder.
- Place the flounder fillets on a sheet pan or flat surface.
- Divide the stuffing between the flounder fillets.
- Roll the flounder fillets so that the flounder surrounds the stuffing.
- Place the fillets in two individual baking dishes or one large enough to hold all four rolls without them moving around too much. Make sure the fillets are seam-side down so the flounder does not open up while baking.
- Add a little water to the pan and place in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and drain off the water, add the mornay sauce to the casserole dish with the stuffed flounder rolls and return to the oven to bake for an additional 10 minutes ( I overfilled the dishes with mornay sauce and ended up taking some out. You should actually be able to see the flounder rolls).
Finish baking the Stuffed Flounder for 10 – 15 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
Serve with lemon wedges and your favorite side dishes. Since I already had spinach in the dish, I served my stuffed flounder florentine with seasoned rice, and it was ah-mazingly delicious!!
Recipe FAQ’s:
Yes, you can. This dish can be prepared up to a day ahead of time. Make sure to keep it well-covered and refrigerated until it’s time to bake the stuffed flounder. Then place the dishes in a preheated 350-degree F. oven for 35-40 minutes or until the top gets golden and bubbly.
I like to use a blend of cheese in my mixture using mozzarella, goat cheese, and gorgonzola. But you can use cheddar, swiss, gruyere, bleu cheese, fontina, or any cheese that you enjoy eating that melts well.
Yes, you can. Allow it to cool completely, then double-wrap the container with plastic wrap to ensure freshness. When reheating, allow the stuffed flounder to defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then unwrap the plastic wrap and cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F has been reached.
Sarah-Jane - SiliconeMoulds.com
I wish we had somewhere nearby to buy good fresh fish. The little local supermarket has some plastic wrapped stuff on the shelf – but it's never very fresh ๐
To get fresh fish is about a 60mile round trip. I don't do it often and usually get some to freeze too ….. but fish from the freezer isn't great either.
Oh well – until I find a better source closer to home, we'll just need to dream of your photos.
Norma
count me in for the toffee – thanks for the chance
bingomamanorma(at)gmail(dot)com
LAMusing
Oh my yes, I want o win the toffee!
adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com
Georgia (The Comfort of Cooking)
What a lovely recipe, Dennis. I always see flounder at my store but never grab it because I never have any ideas! This will be the perfect challenge and new recipe to try. Thank you so much!
Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes
This recipe is a keeper! I happen to enjoy flounder, or most seafood for that matter! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe! If you'd like dessert stop by my blog for a visit! LOL!!!
Happy Valentine's Day to you and your family!
Mary
Island Vittles
the spinach and mornay are a wonderful combo, and I love white fish. Thanks Chef D! theresa
denise @ bread expectations
So simple yet so lovely! I can see why your wife enjoyed this Dennis! I know I would have too ๐
Hope you and the Mrs. have a lovely Valentine's Day!!
baking.serendipity
My weekends are jam packed with projects and to-do lists as well! I always try to slow down and take the time to make a little fancier meals though ๐ This one looks fantastic and that toffee sounds delicious!
Kath
Your flounder looks delish, Dennis, but I have to tell you I'm here for the toffee! We LOVE Enstrom's toffee and have given it for Christmas gifts for many years. We don't usually indulge for ourselves. We've loved it for over 30 years and I would LOVE to win some! It is the BEST!!
Mari
Dennis, you have touch a sentimental note, my Dad used to love flounder, I miss him dearly ๐
It look delicious, it is a recipe that would make any dinner special.
Thanks
~Lisa~
Chef I'm so enjoying all of your fish dishes. And weekends should be a time of rest for you, so take it easy and relax. Thanks for sharing!
mangiabella
I haven't had stuffed flounder in a really really long time, since I was a girl!!! This looks so delicious Dennis, I really want to try this for my husband to surprise him, I'll keep you posted how it turns out! (I already have some tilapia but will be looking for flounder) – the almond toffee sounds deeeeeelicious, I would love to be entered into your giveaway – Toffee is one of those guilty pleasures I don't get too often ๐ I hope you had at least some time to relax this weekend, curl up with a good book, a great nap, or doing something totally fun and silly.
have a wonderful rest of your evening!!
penny aka jeroxie
what amazing flavours!
Dionne Baldwin
I'm curious to try flounder! I like plain fish very much and I bet Yannick would like it too. You did an excellent job on this! I'm glad you both have been eating better for the most part. Hopefully Spring will be here soon. A few more weeks to stumble through and it's pretty much here!
I hope you both have a good week.
Jean
This is such an inspired dish, Dennis. I love it. And guess what? My husband also thinks I'm obsessed with my blog but like your wife, he's surely been eating well. No complaints in that department! If anything, I've cut back on our normal quick pasta dishes and I'm missing them. Beautiful fish dish. Must try this sometime.
Happy Valentine's to you and the Mrs. ๐