I’m forever running to the grocery store to pick up a few last minute ingredients that inevitably turn into a buggy full. 

You know this drill. 

Other than to enforce an Eat Out of the Fridge/Pantry Week (which we do out of necessity every other month or so) I can’t seem to break this. 

So while I am guilty of veering off the shopping list path…on occasion I’m so glad I did.  Flounder fillets were not on the list, but when they look as bright and fresh as these did….there’s a change in our dinner plans. 

I had recently paired Cheesy Garlic & Herb Pull-Apart Bread with store-bought, ready-made and delicious Cajun Crab Dip. 

So considering I had run into the store for 3 items and now had a pound of flounder in the buggy…I had no problem at all picking up a tub of this goodness or you could make this Maryland Crab Dip, which would be delicious with the flounder.

When we entered the Winter Thyme season, I declared a Spice Exploration was in order.  It was time for me to get to know spices the way I had fallen in love with fresh herbs. 

Peri Peri

During one of my favorite Sundays with Shelby outings, she and I discovered Penzey’s Spices.  I’ve since revisited Penzey’s and one of my selections (from their over 200 varieties) was Peri Peri.  After reading the label I knew Peri Peri would turn our Crab Stuffed Flounder into a dish worth posting.  Let me share the description of this amazing spice blend, straight from Penzey’s website.

“Awesomely hot and spicy North African-style hot
pepper blend. Also known as berbere or bere bere.
No salt, no mild paprika, just a lot of Cayenne Red
Pepper with the rich flavors of fenugreek and
cardamom. It’s not just hot, it’s peri peri hot.
Hand-mixed from: cayenne red pepper, garlic, ginger,
fenugreek, cardamom, cumin, black pepper, allspice,
turmeric, cloves, Ceylon cinnamon and coriander.”

While peri peri does have it’s own unique heat derived mostly from the cayenne pepper, when added to a rich cream sauce the other list of spices in this blend make it more about the flavor and less about spicy hot.  Peri peri has earned a spot on our counter, next to salt and pepper….that’s how good it is.

We had this dish a couple weeks ago and couldn’t wait to share it. Then I discovered that February 18th was National Crab Stuffed Flounder Day and I had to hold off posting until today. 

If you don’t have a Penzey’s Spices near you, all of their products can be ordered online at www.penzeys.com.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Crab Stuffed Flounder {with Peri Peri Cream Sauce}

You'll love this tender crab stuffed flounder topped with a spicy cream sauce.

Course Main Course

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Stuffed Flounder

• 1 pound flounder fillets 3-4 fillets
• 1 cup prepared Cajun Crab Dip or Maryland Crab Dip (recipe link in post)
• 1/2 teaspoon Peri Peri seasoning can sub berbere or cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon olive oil for greasing baking dish

For the Peri Peri Cream Sauce

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon Peri Peri seasoning

For Serving

• 4 servings Cooked pasta or rice
• 2 scallions thinly sliced for garnish
• 1 small handfull fresh cilantro or parsley chopped for garnish

Instructions

For the Stuffed Flounder

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse and pat dry flounder fillets. Equally divide crab dip and place at the end of each flounder fillet and gently roll. Place seam side down in a lightly greased baking dish. Sprinkle flounder with Peri Peri seasoning. Bake for 25 minutes.

For the Peri Peri Cream Sauce

• Melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add flour, stirring constantly until bubbly. Whisk in milk, Peri Peri seasoning, and salt and cook until sauce has thickened, whisking constantly. Remove from heat.

For Serving

• To serve, place the stuffed flounder on a bed of pasta or rice, spoon cream sauce over each fillet. Garnish with sliced scallions and chopped cilantro or parsley.

The post Crab Stuffed Flounder {with Peri Peri Cream Sauce} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I’ve had requests for more fish and seafood recipes lately and since there aren’t enough hours in the day and days in the week, we’ll be sharing some recipes from the archives.  Like this beautiful Blackened Flounder with Creamy Polenta.

This might be a good time to give you a quick background on how it came to be that I can’t seem to eat anything without picturing it.  About a year and a half ago, my company decided it was time to have a facebook presence, and so I too bit the bullet and signed up for my own personal page (I was a little behind the times).  One of the first pictures I posted was of a Bodacious Roast Chicken.  I think 10 of my 20 friends at the time responded in some way.  So the next night I posted a picture of the Chicken Enchiladas we made from the leftover chicken, which created a little buzz amongst friends.  On the third day I shared a picture of our Mexican Spaghetti and Meatballs using the homemade enchiladas sauce….by this time I was called out for bragging (in a good way) and it hit me.  Not everyone shares the same passion for cooking that I do.  That’s when I created an album on my personal facebook page called “What’s for Dinner” and posted a picture of dinner every night for almost a year.  I wish there was a way to share a link to that album with you.  The evolution of recipes, plating, and photography is rather fun to see.

When I’d run into friends the first thing they would say is “What’s for Dinner Libby?”  It had become my thing.  I hadn’t ever really thought about starting a blog, since I was mostly intrigued by food pictures and much less about citing a recipe.  But as time went on and my daughter Shelby began to cook and share recipes I realized a blog might be the perfect way to record recipes and an occasional story with her.  As you can see, 451 words later and not even a mention of a Blackened Flounder with Creamy Polenta recipe, I’ve learned to open up some since we began Lemony Thyme back in June.   So while I still cook dinner almost every night I thought it might be fun to go back and share some of my favorites from our What’s for Dinner album archives.

To blacken the flounder, we dusted each side generously with our Cajun rub (garlic powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, ground oregano, brown sugar, and black pepper) and pan sauteed until cooked through.  We served it on a nice bed of Creamy Polenta with a side of Brussels Sprout Slaw.  This meal has the right balance of heat from the blackening seasonings offset by the creamy polenta and cooled slightly with a bite of slaw.  We may have to do more than bring back the ‘picture’ of Blackened Flounder with Creamy Polenta from the archives.

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Blackened Flounder & Creamy Polenta {with Brussels Sprout Slaw}

This meal has the right balance of heat from the blackening seasonings offset by the creamy polenta and cooled slightly with a bite of slaw.

Course Seafood

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the blackened flounder…

• 1 – 1 1/2 lbs. flounder 4 fillets
• 1/4 cup Cajun rub
• 2 Tbl. butter
• 2 Tbl. sunflower or canola oil

For the polenta…

• 1 cup raw Polenta yellow cornmeal
• 4 cups chicken broth or water
• ½ cup cream
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbl. butter
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated
• Salt
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 cups Brussels Sprout Slaw optional
• fresh cilantro leaves and thinly sliced scallion for garnish

Instructions

For the polenta…

• Bring chicken stock, cream, and salt to a boil. Slowly whisk in the polenta and bring mixture back to a boil, stirring constantly.
• Reduce heat to low and continue cooking for 20-25 minutes, stirring often. Add additional tablespoons of broth or water if needed.
• When polenta is done, stir in butter and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt & cayenne to taste.

For the blackened flounder…

• Generously coat both sides of flounder fillets with favorite Cajun rub.
• In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbl. butter and 1 Tbl. oil to high. Add two fillets at a time browning 2-3 minutes per side until fish flakes with a fork. Add additional Tbl. of butter and oil and repeat with remaining fillets.
• Serve flounder on a bed of creamy polenta. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro leaves and scallions.
• Delicious with a side of coleslaw.

The post Blackened Flounder & Creamy Polenta {with Brussels Sprout Slaw} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.