Ingredients
- 4 4-6 oz fresh flounder filets
- 2 cans quartered artichoke hearts, or 3 fresh artichokes
- 1 stick of butter
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 cup of heavy cream (optional)
- Chopped Italian parsley
- olive oil for sauteeing and roasting
- 1 cup of chardonnay
- Kosher salt
- White pepper
- Cayenne pepper
- Dried basil leaves
- 1 tbsp. Finely chopped garlic
- ¾- 1 lb. Dungeness crab
- Capers for garnish
Directions
1. Drain half of the water from the artichoke hearts. Put canned or fresh cooked and quartered artichoke hearts in a skillet with olive oil, chardonnay, the reserved water from the artichokes, and basil. Pan roast on low-medium fire until the hearts are getting golden and the liquid is a bit syrupy. Add the garlic and toss in skillet. Let them cook until the garlic is softened and taste to see if the hearts need salt and pepper. In another small skillet, pan fry capers in olive oil until crisp.
2. Heat oil in a skillet until it’s hot. Salt, white and cayenne peppers on the flounder. Sear about 2-3 minutes on each side to make flounder browned. Transfer fish to a baking pan and finish in the oven (assuming the fish is thick) at 325 degrees. Deglaze the pan with lemon juice, add the butter. If you wish to add the cream, stir it in the butter-lemon mixture and reduce by half. Season with salt and white pepper. Reserve some sauce to drizzle over fish, and toss the crabmeat gently in the other part of the sauce until warm.
3. Place the roasted artichokes hearts in the middle of the plate and top with the fish. Place the crabmeat on top of the fish and spoon more sauce around and on the fish. Sprinkle parsley around the entire plate so it’s festive, and throw the capers randomly around the plate. You can also put some pesto or basil puree in a squeeze bottle and make a circle on the plate or a few dots for extra color.