February 18 is celebrated as National Crab Stuffed Flounder Day. The unique, flavorful combination of flounder and crab is composed of a stuffing made with crab meat. The filling can be stuffed into a whole flounder or, if you only have fillets, the stuffing can be rolled up inside the fillets and baked. Often times, it is difficult to keep stuffing inside a rolled fish fillet, so baking the stuffing on top of the fish is also a delicious and practical option. Topping fish filets with crab or other stuffings is simple and delicious.
Flounder is a delicate flatfish with a sweet, mild flavor. Flounder has many different species. In the waters of the United States, winter flounder and Pacific flounder are the most common species. In the United States, some of the more popular and delicious crabs include rock, blue, stone, Dungeness, and king crabs. These types of crabs are found in both hard and soft shells and can be found along all the coasts and Hawaii.
When buying crab, it is important to know the four grades of meat. The most expensive, jumbo lump crab meat, has the largest, white pieces of crab meat. Next, the lump/backfin crab meat has a similar color, texture, and taste to the jumbo lump meat, but comes in smaller pieces, making it a step less expensive. The third grade is white crab meat, which comes in small, white pieces best for use in recipes such as crab cakes. The final grade, which is least expensive, is the meat from the crab claw. This reddish-brown meat has the most flavor and works well in spicy dishes.
Like all foods, fresh crab is best, but canned is also an option a person might want to choose if they are on a budget. After opening the canned crab meat, be sure to carefully go through the meat and remove any cartilage or tiny bits of shell you might find.
Turn a simple flounder fillet into something special with a crab cake-like topping. A mixture of crabmeat, crushed crackers or bread crumbs, mayonnaise, and seafood seasonings like Old Bay and Worcestershire make for a flavorful stuffing, the perfect complement to flounder’s mild taste. Although elegant enough for guests, this fish entree is also simple enough for a family meal.
If flounder is not available, substitute it with haddock, halibut, sole, tilapia, or other delicate, flaky texture white fish. After buying fresh fish, it can be stored in the refrigerator for one or two days before it should be cooked. If you will not be using the fish promptly, it is safe to freeze the fish for three to eight months at 0°F.
When baking flounder or other white fish, it is essential to cook the fish until it reaches an internal temperature of at least 145°F. Do not overcook the fish, or it will be dry. If there is leftover fish from your meal, refrigerate the leftovers right away and eat them within four days. If the meal leftovers sit at room temperature for over two hours, they need to be thrown away immediately.
When stuffed with rich, delicious crabmeat, fish becomes an elegant feast. The recipe is easy to prepare and gives the appearance of an extravagant preparation.
Written by Vicki Hayman, MS, University of Wyoming Extension Nutrition and Food Safety Educator
Sources:
- www.fsis.usda.gov; www.gigarecipes.com; www.livestrong.com; ww.thenibble.com