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Salmon piccata fillets in lemon butter sauce with capers, parsley and lemon slices
Chef Emma

Salmon Piccata

Lightly floured salmon fillets seared in butter and oil, then served with a pan sauce of white wine, lemon juice, capers and cold butter.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 520
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Salmon
  • 4 salmon fillets 6 oz / 170 g each, about 1 inch thick
  • 3/4 tsp salt plus 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 3 tbsp all-purpose flour for dusting
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
Lemon caper sauce
  • 1 small shallot finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine or more broth
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice plus lemon slices
  • 2 tbsp capers drained and rinsed
  • 3 tbsp cold unsalted butter cubed
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped

Equipment

  • Large skillet
  • Instant-read thermometer

Method
 

  1. Pat the salmon dry, season with salt and pepper, and dust the flesh side lightly with flour.
  2. Heat the oil and 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the salmon flesh side down 4 minutes, flip and cook 2 to 4 minutes more, until it reaches 145°F (63°C). Move to a plate.
  3. Pour off all but 1 tsp fat, lower to medium, and cook the shallot 1 minute and the garlic 30 seconds.
  4. Add the wine, scrape up the browned bits and reduce by half. Add the broth, lemon juice and capers and simmer until reduced to about 1/3 cup.
  5. Off the heat, swirl in the cold butter until glossy, then stir in the parsley and season to taste.
  6. Spoon the sauce over the salmon and serve with lemon slices.

Notes

No wine: use 1 cup broth total. Gluten-free: use cornstarch or skip the flour. Refrigerate leftovers up to 3 to 4 days. Calories are an estimate per serving from USDA FoodData Central values.