Baked Flounder with Tomato Caper Sauce

This is a delicious way to cook flounder. It takes a little bit of time & work, but it is worth it!


For Sauce:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped fennel bulb
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 (14 1/2 oz.)can diced tomatoes, including juice
1/4 cup dry, white wine
2 tbsp. capers, rinsed & drained
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper


For Flounder:
1/2 cup fine, dry, bread crumbs
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, well softened
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
4 (6 oz.) pieces skinless flounder or sole fillet
2 tbsp. dry, white wine


Make Sauce:
Preheat oven to 425.
Heat oil in 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then saute onion & fennel, stirring, until golden, about 8 minutes.
Add garlic and saute, stirring, 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and wine and simmer briskly until liquid is reduced by one third, about 5 minutes. Stir in capers, salt, & pepper. Then transfer to a 2 quart gratin dish or other wide shallow baking dish.


Prepare Flounder:
Stir together bread crumbs, butter, salt, & pepper with a fork until combined. Season flounder with salt & pepper, then roll each fillet, skinned side up, into a cylinder and arrange, seam side down, on top of sauce. Gently press bread crumbs onto flounder.

Put flounder on sauce and drizzle wine carefully around fish sauce (not over fish) and bake in middle of oven until fish is just cooked through, 20-25 minutes.