Spicy Baked Flounder with Peach Salsa

I would definitely say that I’m one of those people that enjoys experimenting in the kitchen. Does it always work in my favor? Of course not. At the same time though, you learn a lot from experimentation.

There have been quite a few disasters in the kitchen that I’ve made. Y’all only get the good times—kind of like social media. People only post the good stuff, except for that crazy girl you went to high school with airs out all of her dirty laundry on Facebook.

Peanut butter quesadillas? Not the best idea. That weird curry chicken and artichoke slow cooker dish? Also a botched cook job. Root beer cookies? Ended up like a melted Frankenstein dessert.

I’ve made just about every salsa under the sun because of my experimentation intrigue. Mango, pineapple, avocado, apple…I like the sweet-and-salty vibe from kooky salsas. Peach salsa, though, was a new gauntlet I threw for myself.

Peach is a little more tangy, and slightly less sweet than mango. I likened it to the apple pico de gallo I made once before. Add a pinch of sugar and it sweetens the pot. Since I used habanero peppers, there was a lot of heat—so the sugar mellowed it out a bit.

I’ve also been experimenting with different fish this summer. Orange roughy so far is my favorite, but it’s really unsustainable and has a ton of mercury in it. I tried flounder for this go around. It’s not my favorite fish so far, but the peach salsa was so good that it didn’t matter.

I wish halibut wasn’t so expensive, and tilapia so unhealthy, because I’m now running out of fish options! If you’ve got any recommendations, let me know. Obviously, I’m open to experimenting.

Spicy Baked Flounder with Peach Salsa

• Servings: 4
• Time: 15 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

Spicy baked flounder fillets topped with a peach and habanero salsa.

Ingredients

For the fish

• 4 flounder fillets
• 1 tsp. chipotle chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 lemon, sliced

For the salsa

• 2-3 large peaches, peeled and diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 habanero pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tsp. sugar
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lay fish fillets out in a large greased baking dish. In a small bowl, mix spices together for the fish and sprinkle over fish. Place sliced lemons on top of fillets. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
2. Make the salsa: Mix salsa ingredients together until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve on top of fish fillets.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lay fish fillets out in a large greased baking dish. In a small bowl, mix spices together for the fish and sprinkle over fish. Place sliced lemons on top of fillets. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Make the salsa: Mix salsa ingredients together until well combined. Refrigerate until ready to use. Serve on top of fish fillets.