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Portugal · Flounder

Portuguese Grilled Whole Flounder

Linguado Grelhado

In the fishing town of Peniche, flat fish go straight from the boat to the charcoal grill with nothing but coarse salt, then get a drizzle of olive oil, garlic and lemon at the table.

  • Prep 10 min + 30 min salting
  • Cook 15 min
  • Serves 2
  • Level Easy
Photo: avlxyz · CC BY-SA 2.0
Served with: Portuguese Mixed Salad ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the fish

For the dressing

Method

Step by step, the way it is done on the island.

  1. Salt the fish. Rinse and dry the fish, scatter the coarse salt over both sides and leave in the fridge 30 minutes. Brush off the extra salt just before grilling.
  2. Heat the grill. Light a charcoal grill and wait until the coals are covered in white ash and give a medium-hot heat. Clean and oil the grate well (or use a hinged fish basket).
  3. Grill. Grill the fish dark side down first, 5–7 minutes, then flip carefully and grill 4–6 minutes more until the meat comes away from the center bone.
  4. Make the dressing. Mix the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and parsley.
  5. Serve. Lift the top fillets off the bone, spoon the dressing over and serve with boiled potatoes and lemon wedges.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Portugal

Portuguese Mixed Salad

Salada Mista

Lettuce, tomato and onion dressed simply with olive oil, vinegar and salt. Every grill house in Portugal puts one on the table next to the fish.

  • Prep 10 min
  • Cook 0 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 1 head green leaf lettuce, torn
  • 3 ripe tomatoes, in wedges
  • 1 small onion, sliced thin
  • ½ green bell pepper, in strips (optional)
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp dried oregano (optional)

How to make it

  1. Prep. Wash and dry the lettuce well. Arrange it on a platter with the tomatoes, onion and pepper on top.
  2. Season. Sprinkle the salt and oregano over the vegetables.
  3. Dress at the table. Just before eating, drizzle with the vinegar and then the olive oil. Toss and serve.

Photo: Prayitno / Thank you for (12 millions +) view from Los Angeles, USA · CC BY 2.0

More ways to cook Flounder

Same fish, a different corner of the sea.

Lima, PeruClassic Peruvian Flounder Ceviche
Cádiz, SpainFlounder with Garlic and Chili Oil
Lisbon, PortugalFlounder Belle Meunière
Outer Banks, North CarolinaOuter Banks Crab-Stuffed Flounder