Cheesy Baked Flounder Rolls

One of our favorite parts of our Fish Share is swapping recipes and stories with our members! Recently, at our Falmouth Farmers Market, one of our members shared a recipe from an old cookbook that caught our attention. The secret? Rolling up the flounder fillets before baking them in a creamy cheddar cheese sauce. It's a simple, old-fashioned technique that turns an everyday piece of fish into something special.

We love discovering new (and old!) ways to enjoy our local catch, and we're especially grateful when our members share their favorites. So here's one we're excited to pass along: Cheesy Baked Flounder Rolls!

Serves: 6

Oven Temperature: 350°F

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon butter, softened, plus 4 tablespoons butter, cut into ¼-inch bits

• 6 six-ounce flounder fillets, skinned

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

• ½ cup finely chopped onions

• 2 tablespoons flour

• 1 cup light cream, or ½ cup heavy cream combined with ½ cup milk

• 1 cup freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese

• 1 teaspoon strained fresh lemon juice

Instructions

1. Prepare the baking dish.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a pastry brush, spread the teaspoon of softened butter evenly over the bottom and sides of a shallow baking and serving dish about 10 inches in diameter.

2. Prepare the fish.

Pat the fillets completely dry with paper towels and sprinkle them evenly with ½ teaspoon of the salt and ⅛ teaspoon of the pepper. Starting at the narrower tapered end, roll each fillet lengthwise into a thick cylinder and stand the fillets side by side in the buttered dish.

3. Make the cheese sauce.

In a heavy 8- to 10-inch skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter bits over moderate heat. When the foam begins to subside, add the onions and, stirring frequently, cook for about 5 minutes until they are soft and translucent but not brown.

Stir in the flour and blend well. Then, stirring the mixture constantly with a wire whisk, pour in the light cream or the combined heavy cream and milk in a slow, thin stream and cook over high heat until the sauce comes to a boil, thickens heavily and is smooth.

Add ¾ cup of the grated cheese and, when it has melted completely, slowly stir in the lemon juice and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper.

4. Bake the fish.

Taste for seasoning, pour the sauce over the fish fillets and dot the top with 1 tablespoon of the butter bits. Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes.

5. Finish under the broiler.

Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of grated cheese and the remaining tablespoon of butter bits over the fish and slide the dish under the broiler for about 30 seconds until the top is lightly browned.

Serve at once.