tapenade

Tapenade, the french condiment which you might recognize from many a charcuterie board, is a lovely addition to any main course. It is packed with saltiness from the luscious combination of olives, capers, and anchovies and is rounded out by tangy lemon. Serve it on fish, chicken or vegetables to instantly elevate any meal or enjoy it on fresh bread or crackers. Here, I use flounder, but a similar white fish like halibut, sol, haddock, or catfish will work just fine. Flounder with green tapenade is quick and easy to prepare and accentuates all of those flavors.

Serve this dish on a bed of greens, with crusty bread, for a light, nourishing, and deeply satisfying weeknight meal. You can prepare flounder with green tapenade in a matter of minutes. 

ingredients

for the green tapenade

• 4-5 fillets of anchovies
• ½ cup green olives, pitted
• ½ cup parsley
• 1 tablespoon capers, chopped
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ tablespoon lemon zest
• Pinch of salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

for the flounder

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon parsley
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

tapenade steps

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse 7-8 times for 2 seconds each until blended. You want to retain some texture and not totally puree the tapenade. Alternatively, you can finally chop each ingredient and mix it together by hand.

flounder and assembly steps

Melt the butter in a large pan and add the lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley, salt, and pepper. Place the flounder, skin-side down in the pan and cook for about 4 minutes. Flip and cook for another 4 minutes, spooning the sauce over the fish to evenly coat.

Serve the tapenade over the fish with a side of mixed raw or sautéed greens and crusty bread.