Greenback Flounder

When Caught

Year round. There is limited supply of bay flounder from April through August.

Important Features

Wild/Farmed: Wild, Some species, such as greenback flounder, have excellent aquaculture potential.
Habitat: Saltwater and estuarine, Most flounders are caught in bays and estuaries.
Recovery Rate: Fillets: 25 30% from whole flounder (gilled and gutted), The recovery rate is low because the body is very flat (depressed).

Greenback Flounder Research

FRDC provides a comprehensive search of the latest research papers and images on Greenback Flounder

Remarks

Flounders and soles lie on the seabed on one side of their body (left or right). The eyes are on the other side. They are referred to as flatfish as opposed to roundfish .

Imports

Much flounder and sole eaten domestically is imported.
Europe:: plaice (Pleuronectes plat-essa) frozen fillets
New Zealand:: New Zealand sole (Peltorhamphus novaezeelandiae), New Zealand flounder (Rhombosolea spp) chilled and frozen whole (gutted)

Common Size

25-35cm

Overseas Names

USA: greenback flounder; J: Nyuujii-rando karei, Ousutoraria karei

Grading

Grading can vary by supplier and region. An example of a grading system for flounder is presented below.

Greenback Flounder (Rhombosolea tapirina)

Photograph by CSIRO

Nutrition Facts

per 100g of raw product

Kilojoules	na
Cholesterol	20mg
Sodium	na
Total fat (oil)	1.3g
Saturated fat	36% of total fat
Monounsaturated fat	31% of total fat
Polyunsaturated fat	32% of total fat
Omega-3, EPA	98mg
Omega-3, DHA	61mg
Omega-6, AA	36mg

Cooking Ideas

Bake	Boil	Deep Fry
Grill/barbecue	Poach	Raw
Roe	Roe & Milk	Salted
Shallow Fry	Smoke	Steam/microwave

Note: Cooking Ideas identified by dark bold text are relevant to this species

Flounders are flatfish that have become extremely popular in restaurants. They generally have a delicate to medium flavour and their unusual appearance suits them exceptionally well to presentation especially something a little out of the ordinary.

Flounders are often served whole and can either be boned-out, or with the bones left in to provide an attractive appearance.

Flounders have been found to bake beautifully either as they come, or with a stuffing of fresh herbs and lemon zest. Lightly covered with seasoned flour, flounders can also be grilled with a little oil and lemon juice, or meuniËre style to produce great results. Lemon butter or meuniËre is a popular accompaniment and the use of herbs such as dill, sage and basil will make sure your flounder does not flop.

For something different, lightly grill flounder fillets and then poach them in wine. Be careful not to overcook.

Peter Harris recipe from the Grange Jetty Kiosk in South Australia involves shallow or deep frying flounder coated in a salt and pepper mix, and is served with a salad of snow pea sprouts.

Flavour: Medium; The bay flounders have a more delicate flavour than other flounders.
Oiliness: Low to Medium
Moisture: dry
Texture: Medium, The bay flounder is softer in texture than other commonly eaten flounders.
Flesh Colour: Generally light grey
Thickness: Thin fillets
Bones: Can be boned whole
Price: Flounders are medium- to high-priced finfish in southern states and low- to medium-priced in areas where a particular species is less well known or imported.; Smaller grades (A and B) and larger grades (G and H) are generally cheaper than medium grades, wh

Suggested Wines

With a medium strength of flavour, these species are complemented by young, flavoursome chardonnays.

Unwooded chardonnays will comp-lement the suggestions of grilling with oil and lemon, topped with a little lemon butter.

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