Baby Flounder with Mushrooms and Pecans

WHILE THE REST OF THE COUNTRY SEEMS TO BE embracing every exotic and trendy fish from Arctic char to Moroccan tuna to Chilean sea bass, flounder is what Southerners still perceive as the ideal fish to simply broil with lemon and butter, stuff with all sorts of shellfish, flavored rice, and vegetables, or gently sauté with a creamy wine sauce. This particular dish, which might also be made with small red snapper, sole, and even trout fillets, can be prepared literally in a matter of minutes. What’s equally appealing is that it lends itself to endless experimentation with whatever ingredients you have in the kitchen—chopped ripe tomatoes or leeks, minced garlic or chile peppers, other nuts and wild mushrooms, fresh broccoli florets or diced asparagus, raisins or capers, and all sorts of herbs and spices. Frankly, I’ve never understood how food snobs can consider flounder a boring fish, given its amazing versatility.

MAKES: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 tablespoons (3⁄4 stick) butter
• 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh mushrooms
• 1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 small fresh flounder fillets (about 1⁄2 pound each), skinned
• 1 cup dry white wine
• Pinch of ground fennel
• 1⁄4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a small skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over moderate heat.
2. Add the chopped mushrooms to the skillet and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes.
3. Remove the skillet from the heat.
4. On a plate, combine the flour, salt, and pepper, and mix until well blended.
5. Lightly dredge the flounder fillets in the flour mixture and place them on another plate.
6. In a large skillet, melt the remaining butter over moderate heat.
7. Add the floured fillets to the skillet and sauté for 2 minutes on one side.
8. Flip the fillets over, scatter the mushrooms on top and around the sides of the fillets, and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
9. Add the white wine and ground fennel to the skillet and cook for 1 more minute.
10. Pour the heavy cream into the skillet, stirring gently to avoid breaking up the fish.
11. Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet, and let the fish rest in the cooking liquid for several minutes.
12. To serve, transfer the flounder fillets to a heated serving platter.
13. Increase the heat to moderately high and reduce the sauce in the skillet until it thickens slightly, about 3 minutes.
14. Pour the mushrooms and sauce over the fish on the serving platter.
15. Scatter the chopped pecans over the top.
16. Serve the dish hot.