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Crispy Flounder with Ginger-Scallion Sauce

By Maggie Zhu

Published on July 21, 2025

Time

50 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Crispy Flounder with Ginger-Scallion Sauce

Ingredients

¼ cup Shaoxing wine, divided½ teaspoon table salt ½ teaspoon white pepper 4 (4- to 6-ounce) skinless flounder fillets ½ cup chicken broth 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons sugar 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder½ cup cornstarch 5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided4 scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced thin2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Before You Begin

You can substitute sole or catfish for the flounder in this recipe. Look for flounder fillets that are no more than ½ inch thick. Use any type of broth concentrate (cube, powder, gel, etc.) for the bouillon powder listed in the recipe.

Instructions

  1. Whisk 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon white pepper together in bowl to dissolve salt. Pat four 4- to 6-ounce flounder fillets dry with paper towels, then place side-by-side in 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Pour wine mixture over top and let sit for 10 minutes. 
  2. Whisk ½ cup chicken broth, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder, and remaining 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine together in small bowl; set aside. Place ½ cup cornstarch in shallow dish. Working with 1 fillet at a time, lift out of marinade, letting excess drip back into dish, then transfer to dish with cornstarch. Flip fillet to coat both sides, pressing lightly to adhere; transfer to large plate. Repeat with remaining fillets.
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 2 fillets and cook, without moving, until golden brown on first side, about 3 minutes (if after 2 minutes fish is golden, reduce heat to medium). Using 2 spatulas, gently flip fillets and reduce heat to medium. Cook until golden brown on second side, about 3 minutes. Transfer to individual serving plates and sprinkle with 2 thinly sliced scallion greens. Repeat with additional 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, remaining fillets, and remaining scallion greens.
  4. Wipe out skillet with paper towels. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger and 4 thinly sliced scallion whites and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth mixture and cook for 30 seconds. Pour sauce evenly over each fish fillet on plates, then sprinkle with ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro. Serve. 
Crispy Flounder with Ginger-Scallion Sauce
Photography by Kritsada Panichgul. Styling by Sheila Jarnes.

Crispy Flounder with Ginger-Scallion Sauce

Headshot of Maggie Zhu
By Maggie Zhu

Published on July 21, 2025

Save

Time

50 minutes

Yield

Serves 4

Ingredients

¼ cup Shaoxing wine, divided
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
4 (4- to 6-ounce) skinless flounder fillets
½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
½ cup cornstarch
5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
4 scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced thin
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Ingredients

¼ cup Shaoxing wine, divided
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
4 (4- to 6-ounce) skinless flounder fillets
½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
½ cup cornstarch
5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
4 scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced thin
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Ingredients

¼ cup Shaoxing wine, divided
½ teaspoon table salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
4 (4- to 6-ounce) skinless flounder fillets
½ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
½ cup cornstarch
5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
4 scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced thin
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Why This Recipe Works

Pan frying whole fish and drizzling it in an aromatic sauce is a classic technique in Chinese cooking. Here we made things faster by starting with flounder fillets. A 10-minute soak in Shaoxing wine, salt, and white pepper seasoned the flounder and enhanced its mild taste. Dredging the fish in cornstarch before shallow-frying it produced a delicately crispy coating. We finished the dish by pouring a potent, savory-salty sauce fragrant with ginger and scallions over the fillets, along with a generous amount of chopped fresh cilantro.

Before You Begin

You can substitute sole or catfish for the flounder in this recipe. Look for flounder fillets that are no more than ½ inch thick. Use any type of broth concentrate (cube, powder, gel, etc.) for the bouillon powder listed in the recipe.

Instructions

  1. Whisk 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon white pepper together in bowl to dissolve salt. Pat four 4- to 6-ounce flounder fillets dry with paper towels, then place side-by-side in 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Pour wine mixture over top and let sit for 10 minutes. 
  2. Whisk ½ cup chicken broth, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder, and remaining 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine together in small bowl; set aside. Place ½ cup cornstarch in shallow dish. Working with 1 fillet at a time, lift out of marinade, letting excess drip back into dish, then transfer to dish with cornstarch. Flip fillet to coat both sides, pressing lightly to adhere; transfer to large plate. Repeat with remaining fillets.
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 2 fillets and cook, without moving, until golden brown on first side, about 3 minutes (if after 2 minutes fish is golden, reduce heat to medium). Using 2 spatulas, gently flip fillets and reduce heat to medium. Cook until golden brown on second side, about 3 minutes. Transfer to individual serving plates and sprinkle with 2 thinly sliced scallion greens. Repeat with additional 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, remaining fillets, and remaining scallion greens.
  4. Wipe out skillet with paper towels. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger and 4 thinly sliced scallion whites and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth mixture and cook for 30 seconds. Pour sauce evenly over each fish fillet on plates, then sprinkle with ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro. Serve. 

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