Pan fried flounder

Passera Frita (Pan-fried Flounder)

SERVES 4

A ridiculously simple and tasty fried flounder is one of my favorite things we do in our evening-long parade of fish dishes on Christmas Eve. Because it’s not deep-fried in copious amounts of vegetable oil, beer-battered, or smothered in tartar sauce, it’s a fried fish that I have no problem digging into. The flounder takes a dip in flour, then beaten egg, and gets pan-fried in olive oil. After a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of parsley, it’s outrageously good. I now trade all-purpose white flour for whole-grain millet flour with no love lost—it has more fiber and protein, and is gluten-free. Millet flour also gives you a nice crispy coating, and its yellow hue enhances the golden brown exterior.

• 4 (4- to 5-ounce) skinless flounder fillets
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1⁄4 cup millet flour
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

• Lightly season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper. Pour the millet flour onto a plate. Beat the eggs with the milk in a wide shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper.

• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Working in batches, dredge the fish in the flour, then shake off the excess and dip the fillets into the egg. Add two coated fillets to the pan and cook until golden brown on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes. Turn each fillet and cook until the second side is golden and crispy, about 1 minute more. Transfer the fish to a plate. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the pan and repeat the dredging and frying process with the 2 remaining fillets.
• Serve the fish with the lemon wedges and chopped parsley.