Lemon Fish Piccata

Lemon Fish Piccata is a fantastic dish that is both easy to make and tastes great. The fish and lemon sauce is a marriage made in heaven!

Lemon Fish Piccata is one of our favorite recipes. The sauce is flavorful and garlicky, while the fish itself remains tender and juicy. It’s perfect for an easy supper that everyone will love.

I love cooking seafood, and nothing beats fresh fish or shellfish. This Fish Piccata recipe is made using my Pan-fried Fish recipe topped with Piccata Sauce.

Fish Options

For the best results, use tender to medium-firm fish fillets. Some good options include cod, sole, flounder, halibut, Branzino, tilapia, sea bass, grouper, pollock, or perch.

You can use fresh fish or frozen that’s been thawed overnight in the fridge. I don’t recommend using fish with the skin attached as the sauce may make it soggy.

Step By Step Instructions

Blot the fish with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides. Reserve until ready to cook.

Then, make the roux to be used to thicken the sauce by adding one tablespoon of flour to two tablespoons of melted butter.

Mix to combine and set aside.

Then zest half a lemon, leaving the bitter white pith behind, and juice the whole lemon. Set aside.

Season the eggs and milk with salt and pepper in a shallow bowl and beat with a fork or whisk until combined.

Put the flour in a separate shallow bowl or plate, and season the flour well with salt and pepper. Mix to combine.

Dredge the fish in the egg and then the flour, shaking off any excess. 

Set the fish aside at room temperature for 30 minutes. Frying too soon will cause the coating to fall off during cooking. There is no need to refrigerate as cooking cold fish can cause it to cook unevenly.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 1 minute. You’ll know the pan is ready when a little flour added to the oil sizzles on contact.

Fry the fish for 2 to 3 minutes undisturbed. It’s ready to flip when the underside is golden, crispy, and released easily from the pan. Cook on the other side another few minutes or until it’s golden and reaches an internal temperature of 145°F/63°C.

Remove to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm and drain the oil from the pan. If there are any burned bits of breading in the pan, wipe it clean with paper towels and return the pan to the stove over medium heat.

Melt two tablespoons of the butter with the olive oil.

When butter and olive oil start to sizzle, add the garlic to the pan and cook until the garlic is tender and fragrant (about 30 seconds).

Then, add the wine.

Bring to a boil and cook until almost completely evaporated about 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock, lemon zest, and lemon juice, and bring to a boil. Add the prepared butter and flour mixture and whisk it into the sauce until melted and combined. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, capers, taste for seasoning, and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Add the parsley and serve over the fish.

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Let’s Make Lemon Fish Piccata

Crispy flour-coated fish fillets pan-fried until golden, served in a lemon, garlic white wine sauce with capers.

5 from 16 votes

Prep45 minutes minutes

Cook15 minutes minutes

Total1 hour hour

Serves: 4

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Ingredients

For the Roux

• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter melted
• ▢ 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

For The Fish

• ▢ 1 lb fish fillets*
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ ¼ cup milk
• ▢ salt and pepper
• ▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 cup vegetable oil Canola or grapeseed oil

To Prepare the Sauce

• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter cubed
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 6 cloves garlic
• ▢ ½ cup dry white wine
• ▢ 1½ cups chicken stock or fish stock
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice freshly squeezed
• ▢ a good handful of fresh parsley chopped
• ▢ 2 tablespoons capers drained
• ▢ 1 lemon with rind cut into thin rounds for garnish (optional)

US Customary – Metric

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Instructions

• Remove the fish from the fridge 15 minutes before cooking. Pat dry with paper towels and season well with salt on both sides. Set aside until ready to cook.
• Mix the melted butter into the flour until combined and set aside for the sauce.
• Add the eggs and milk to a shallow bowl, season with salt and pepper, and beat with a whisk or fork until well blended.
• Place flour in a shallow dish and season well with salt and pepper. Mix to combine.
• Dredge the fish in the egg and then the flour, shaking off any excess.
• Set the fish aside at room temperature for 30 minutes. Frying too soon will cause the coating to fall off during cooking.
• Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering.
• Add the floured fish; cook undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes or until golden brown. Flip and cook until golden, reaching an internal temperature of 145°F/63°C. Remove to a large platter in a single layer to keep warm.

For the Sauce

• Drain the oil from the pan and wipe it clean with paper towels; if there are any scorched bits of breading in the pan, return the pan to the stove over medium heat.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter with the olive oil. When butter and olive oil start to sizzle, add the garlic to the pan and cook until the garlic is tender and fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add the wine, bring to a boil and cook until almost completely evaporated, about 2 minutes.
• Add the chicken stock, lemon zest, and lemon juice, and bring to a boil. Add the prepared butter and flour mixture and whisk it into the sauce until melted and combined. Cook until the sauce thickens slightly.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the parsley and capers, taste for seasoning, and season with salt and pepper as needed.
• Serve the sauce on top of the fish garnished with lemon slices.

Tips + Notes

*For best success with this recipe, use tender to medium-firm fish fillets. Some options include cod, sole, tilapia, flounder, halibut, Branzino, sea bass, pollock, grouper, or perch.

• Make sure to heat the oil thoroughly before adding the fish. Starting with hot oil is the key to a crunchy outcome.
• Don’t overcrowd the pan. I recommend a 12-inch frying pan. If you don’t have a big enough size, cook the fish in batches. Cooking the fish too close together will result in a soggy rather than crunchy breading.
• If you do not have a meat thermometer, you will know that the fish is ready when it is white and flakes easily.
• To keep the fish warm as the sauce cooks, place ot on a sheet pan in an oven set to 200°F/94°C.
• Serve as soon as the sauce is ready to ensure the fish stays crunchy.
• Stay away from cooking wines that are loaded with salt and sugar. Instead, opt for a wine you’d enjoy drinking. Choose a dry white wine, such as Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio. Choose a wine you’d drink, not a cooking wine.
• For a non-alcohol version, deglazing your skillet with stock instead of wine and skip the reduction.

 

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 989 (49%)| Carbohydrates: 35g (12%)| Protein: 33g (66%)| Fat: 79g (122%)| Saturated Fat: 18g (113%)| Polyunsaturated Fat: 34g| Monounsaturated Fat: 22g| Trans Fat: 1g| Cholesterol: 173mg (58%)| Sodium: 429mg (19%)| Potassium: 617mg (18%)| Fiber: 2g (8%)| Sugar: 4g (4%)| Vitamin A: 509IU (10%)| Vitamin C: 21mg (25%)| Calcium: 75mg (8%)| Iron: 3mg (17%)

Nutritional Data Disclaimer

Erren’s Kitchen is written and produced for informational intentions only. We are not certified nutritionists, and the nutritional information found on this site has not been assessed or authorized by a nutritionist or the FDA. The nutritional information found in our recipes is offered as an estimate and should not be considered a guarantee or fact. The estimated data is provided as a courtesy and calculated through a third-party online nutritional calculator, spoonacular API. Although we do our best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered rough estimates. Many factors, such as brands or products purchased and the nutritional fluctuations that naturally occur in fresh produce, can alter the effectiveness of the nutritional information in any recipe. Furthermore, various online calculators provide different results depending on their particular algorithms and nutrition fact sources. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Author:Erren Hart

Course:Dinner

Cuisine:Italian American

Keyword:Fish Piccata

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