KANSAS CITY - With more and more Americans looking to eat more healthfully — a trend accelerated by COVID — demand for fresh flounder and other flat fish is expected to rise.

And with foodservice still the primary destination for most flat fish, there’s plenty of room for growth.

In the flat fish category, Bensenville, Ill.-based Fortune Fish & Gourmet markets flounder, halibut, dover sole at retail, said Stacy Schultz, Fortune’s director of marketing and sustainability coordinator.

Quality and freshness separate Fortune’s flat fish offerings from the competition, said Schultz, who said the company’s flat fish roster hasn’t changed much in recent years.

Flatfish are usually sold in the fresh case or frozen at retail, said Schultz.

Most Fortune flounder sold at retail is rated Yellow by the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch, Schultz said.

“I think that helps to sell the product to more sustainably minded customers.”

Mild, sweet, sustainable

Jacksonville, Florida-based Sea Best Corp.’s Arrowtooth flounder is a light, flaky fish with a mild, sweet flavor, according to the company.

Sea Best recommends cooking these fillets with a lemon or butter-based sauce that doesn’t overpower the natural flavors of the fish.

“Because Sea Best Arrowtooth Flounder fillets do not have a high oil content, you can keep the fish succulent by cooking them quickly whether you’re pan frying or deep frying.”

Arrowtooth is one of the top-ranked flounder products for sustainability, earning a “best choice” designation from Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch.

Wild Caught, naturally low in fat and individually quick-frozen for maximum freshness, Sea Best Arrowtooth flounder is an excellent source of protein, according to the company.

The same is true for all of its flounder products.

“Sea Best Flounder is mild, lean and very impressionable. Its oil content allows accompanying flavors to infuse the flaky meat, and the fillets adapt to the seasoning and sauces your family loves. Its versatility also lends itself to a variety of preparation methods and any number of recipes. With flounder, flavor pairings ranging from mild, smooth butter to tart lemon are all fair game.”

Sea Best merchandises its wild-caught flounder for grocery retail in 16 oz value-added bags. The individually vacuum-packed bags are quick-frozen for freshness. On the packs, Sea Best highlights the product’s low-fat and high-protein virtues and draws attention to flounder’s unique qualities.

This story was featured in the November issue of Supermarket Perimeter. Click here for the full issue.