Crab Cakes and Flounder with Roasted Broccoli

We all know fish is good for us.  I happen to live in North Carolina, one of the "stroke belt" states. Down south the preferred way of eating fish is fried. Come to think of it, the preferred way of eating almost anything is fried. As much as I love a big plate of breaded fish, I seldom indulge.  Flounder is my favorite. It is mild, flaky and requires a short cooking time.  Crab is a natural accompaniment for flounder.  The combination is a great meal with a side of roasted broccoli. Pan frying in olive oil omits butter and saturated fat. I admit to using butter in the biscuits you see in the picture, but you can substitute Italian bread with olive oil as a healthy alternative.

I used flounder fillets instead of whole flounder and pan fried the crab cakes just prior to the flounder. They were used as a topping rather than a stuffing. The broccoli can be roasting while the crab cakes and flounder are frying. It was served with a dab of homemade tartar sauce, but lemon juice is wonderful too.

Crab Cakes and Flounder  with Roasted Broccoli (serves two)
8 oz. lump crabmeat (preferably fresh, not canned)            
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 egg, beaten                                                                    
1/2 teaspoon yellow mustard
2 tablespoons low fat mayonnaise                                       
1/3 cup crushed crackers
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning                                        
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Mix all ingredients except crabmeat. Squeeze all liquid from crabmeat and gently blend into mixture. Form into 4 cakes. Cover loosely with wax paper and refrigerate for about an hour before cooking. Pan fry in hot olive oil 4-5 minutes, turning gently halfway through cooking time until golden brown.

1 package of fresh or frozen flounder fillets (4 fillets or approximately 12 oz) thawed in the refrigerator for about 5 hours. Pat dry and give them a light dusting of flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Pan fry in hot olive oil for about 2 minutes on each side. Place a crab cake on top of each fillet and serve with tartar sauce or fresh lemon juice.

Roasted Broccoli (cooking time approximately 9-12 minutes)
1 medium broccoli crown, stems trimmed and cut into bite size pieces to lay flat on a jelly roll pan.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan with foil and place in preheated oven. In a medium bowl combine the trimmed broccoli, olive oil and sugar. Toss to coat. Remove hot pan from oven and place broccoli pieces, cut side down on hot pan. The pan should be hot enough for you to hear them sizzle. Return to oven and bake for about 9-12 minutes until roasted. Watch carefully so they don't burn. The small amount of sugar will help help them caramelize. Season with sea salt and serve.