Oven Roasted Flounder with Bok Choy

I have fully recovered from being sick.  To treat myself I went dancing on Sunday, which usually means not cooking.  In true style I came home tired and completely happy.  For me dancing is a form of therapy.  Actually Paige Arden said it better "Dance isn't something that can be explained in words. It has to be danced."  Now you know one more thing about me, aside from cooking I also love horses.  That is my true love.  There two fun facts for you.  

Last night I decided to try a Flounder recipe I had been looking at.  I recently went out fishing and caught some Flounder which thrilled my dogs who love when I actually catch something.  I have never seen the fillets in stores, but I am now quiet a fan of Flounder.  It is light, marinates easily and doesn't have a heavy seafood taste to it.  I hope to catch more and enjoy some other recipes including this one again after trial and error. As a side note I suppose any white fish would make this recipe work too.   

The errors were in the Bok Choy.  I should have known better, I cook a lot of Bok Choy, but it is a sponge for flavor.  That was my mistake, but not yours.  I made the sauce using some of the ingredients they called for.  Basically, I squeezed one lime, added soy sauce and rice vinegar with some coarsely chopped ginger.  I then sauteed the Bok Choy in a little white wine, they call for Sake, but I don't have any of that.  I also added some ginger to the Bok Choy.  While that was sauteeing I added my first bowl of ingredients to the flounder as a sort of quick marinade.  Topped with a little fresh pepper and salt to the fillets.  One the Bok Choy was lightly sauteed I added it to the top of the flounder and baked it for about 8 minutes at 400 degrees.  So you ask what was my mistake?  The lime juice mix was soaked up by the Bok Choy in that sponge like fashion and it ruined the taste of the Bok Choy in my opinion.  Next time I will cook them separately, or only marinade the fillets longer before cooking.  I served it with rice and a salad.  The fish was perfect.

Here is the original recipe. And of course I told you what I did differently.  I did not use cilantro or scallion because I didn't have any.  I imagine the cilantro would be good.  That will be next time.

• 1 scallion, thinly sliced 
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro plus small sprigs for garnish
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoons finely minced peeled ginger
• 3 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound baby bok choy (2-3 bunches), cut in half lengthwise
• 1/2 cup sake or dry white wine
• 4 4-ounce fillets flounder or other delicate white fish (up to 1/2 inch thick) 

• Arrange a rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 400°. Combine scallion, 1/4 cup cilantro, and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk in 1 1/2 tablespoon oil. Season cilantro-lime sauce with salt and pepper; set aside.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat until shimmering. Working in batches if needed, add bok choy, cut side down, and sear until golden brown, 2-4 minutes per batch. Turn bok choy cut side up and remove pan from heat. Add sake. Season flounder fillets with salt and pepper and arrange in a single layer over bok choy. Roast in oven until fish is just cooked through, 8-10 minutes.
• Spoon sake sauce from skillet into the bottom of 4 shallow bowls, dividing evenly. Add bok choy to each bowl, dividing evenly; top each bowl with 1 fish fillet. Spoon some cilantro-lime sauce over fish and garnish with cilantro sprigs. Serve remaining cilantro-lime sauce alongside for drizzling.