Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Baked Flounder Recipe (Easy, Flaky, Fast!)
Flounder with lemon and butter makes a gentle, savory dinner that is easy to look forward to. The paprika gives the top a warm color, with soft fish underneath the seasoning.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 8 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Cuisine
- American
- Cooking method
- Baking · Baked & roasted
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
A few quick notes
1. Dry fish on the prepared sheet
Pat the fillets dry with paper towel before placing them on the rimmed sheet, ready for the butter mixture.
2. Brush both sides before seasoning
Whisk butter, oil and lemon together and coat both sides of each fillet before adding the separate dry spices.
3. Check thin fillets early
Thickness affects the oven time, so use the early check included before continuing to the stated flaky finish.
Get to know the ingredients
Melted unsalted butter
Melt the butter before whisking with olive oil and lemon juice, making it ready to brush evenly over the fish.
Smoked paprika
The smoked paprika is mixed with garlic powder, salt and pepper separately from the butter before seasoning both fish sides.
Lemon juice
Lemon juice goes into the butter-oil mixture before brushing, rather than being reserved solely for the serving plate.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
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Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Look for the flaky fish finish
Check the fillets during baking and finish when the fish flakes easily, following the recipe's stated doneness checks.
A little more help as you go
Keep wet and dry mixtures separate
Mix the lemon butter in one small bowl and the dry seasoning in another before applying them in order.
Season both surfaces generously
After brushing with the butter mixture, distribute the dry seasoning over both sides rather than only the upper surface.
A few questions you might have
Do I bake in a covered packet?
The fillets are placed on a rimmed baking sheet, brushed and seasoned before the oven cook; no wrapping stage is included.
Is garlic fresh in this coating?
Garlic powder is part of the dry mix with smoked paprika, sea salt and black pepper before seasoning.
Does oil replace the butter?
Both olive oil and melted butter are whisked together with lemon juice, then brushed over each fillet.
Why should I check before the full baking window?
Check thinner fillets earlier, since their thickness can affect how much cooking time they need.
When should I add the salt?
Mix it with paprika, garlic powder and pepper in the separate dry bowl, then season after brushing the lemon butter.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: wholesomeyum.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.