Aldi Flounder and Vegetables In Parchment – Yes Please!

OK my Aldi Peeps! (You know who you are!) I’m writing this blog post and this easy recipe just for YOU!!! (XOXO) This Flounder and Veggies in Parchment is not just healthy and beautiful. It’s good enough to serve to company! 

For any of my followers who have never heard of Aldi Grocery Stores…you have my sympathy! I’ve shopped at Aldi since the 1970’s. In fact an Aldi executive recently told me that my suspicions were correct. Our store here in Iowa City, Iowa was their very first one in America! And I’ve been a loyal customer since Day One.

The company began in Essen, Germany in 1946. It was started by two brothers who took over their mother’s grocery store which had opened there in 1919. The business eventually split into two groups (Aldi Sud and Aldi Nord) in 1960. The brothers disagreed about whether or not to sell cigarettes so they split the company in two! Each went his separate way in marketing and distribution.

Their separate growth pattern in Europe is confusing to me. But eventually Aldi Sud came to America under the Aldi name, while Aldi Nord is best known here as (wait for it) Trader Joe’s. (Most people have no idea about that family connection.)

Let’s make one thing crystal clear. I am NOT a paid spokesperson for the grocery chain. But I should be! (Hey, Corporate, if you’re listening…call me!)  But it wouldn’t matter if I was a paid spokesman or not…you’ll always get my honest opinion of ANY product or service or company I write about!

My blog is loaded with many recipes using ingredients from that awesome store, so take a look, and let’s start cooking.

For this recipe I make my own dry rub blend, but feel free to use whatever dry rub you like. Just know that my special spice combo has been a hit with my family and friends for years! I use it on MANY dishes, from my grilled pork loin to roasted potatoes, to “drunken chicken”and to fish! (Those recipes are on my blog too.) It’s a delicious blend of herbs and spices. And guess what? Most of those spices come from Aldi. (I make up multiple batches at a time, and I give them as gifts.)

Click here for “Meemaw’s Magic Dry Rub” recipe.

Here are most of the ingredients I used this time in that parchment wrapped entree. But keep in mind you can use whatever vegetables you like. Just be very careful to cut all the veggies into matchstick sizes since the fish cooks quickly in about 20 minutes. (I see I must have “cheated” this time and used some shredded carrots I had on hand from a different store.) At the last minute I also threw in some matchbook sliced, colored sweet peppers that were lurking in my refrigerator. The sky is the limit when it comes to the veggies you can use!

Start by laying out a large sheet of parchment paper. (Aldi even sells that during the holiday season.)

Spray the paper with some Extra Virgin Olive Oil spray, or drizzle on a tiny bit from the bottle of olive oil. Then add a BIG handful of fresh spinach and top with a flounder fillet. You don’t even have to thaw the fish! Drizzle a little EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) and a sprinkle of the dry rub of your choice. Then begin the veggies and fish fillet layering process. Always add dry rub atop each fish fillet.

When you’re finished, carefully fold the parchment paper to create a sealed packet. Place each packet on a rimmed cookie sheet in case a packet might leak. 

Bake in a preheated oven (About 375 degrees) for about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to “rest” for about 5-10 minutes. Then slide each packet onto a serving plate, or do as I do. I like to serve each packet on a dinner plate and let each diner open their own “present” and eat directly from the packet! (Just be sure to warn them in advance about the steam that may escape when they tear their packet open!) The fish and veggies and the dry rub steam together to create a delicious broth. You can also serve a side dish of some rice or quinoa to soak up that liquid goodness if you’d like. 

So thanks to Aldi, you can have this beautiful dish on your dinner table in less time than it takes for a pizza delivery. And this dinner is a heck of a lot prettier…and healthier too.

All seven of our grandkids know Meemaw’s Rule…

“Eat A Rainbow Every Day”

THIS rainbow arrives in a pretty little packet. And who doesn’t love a present now and then?