This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Salmon piccata is actually Patty’s marvelous creation. She’s been obsessed with chicken piccata for well over a decade. I took some serious convincing when she first sprung it on me. I was not the biggest lemon and caper fan. But now I can say with confidence, I love the combo, and this recipe is nothing short of amazing.
This salmon piccata recipe is of course based on your typical chicken piccata. Capers, lemon, garlic, butter, and white wine, create a thick tangy sauce that’s perfect for salmon or steelhead trout. Sure it goes well with chicken, but the flavors lend themselves even more to fish.
Table of Contents
Salmon Versus Steelhead Trout
This recipe can be made with salmon or steelhead trout. The two fish are very similar in flavor and general profile. Like salmon, steelhead trout has a reddish hue, a distinct “fishy” flavor, and nearly identical overall texture. If you love salmon, you’ll probably like steelhead trout.
Learning to grill on a cedar plank is a great skill to have, and you can easily make salmon in foil packets in the oven. For a more traditional meal, try out some beer battered cod.
The Key to Good Piccata
Piccata sauce is easy to make if you follow the correct steps. It’s as simple as searing the fish in the pan first, transferring to a plate and simmering your sauce in the same pan until almost creamy. The whole process from start to finish only takes about 10 minutes.
A few takeaways:
- Dredging the salmon in flour beforehand is a must. It helps create a thin crust and a little texture to compliment the tender, flakey inside. It also helps gives the piccata sauce a better surface to stick to.
- Picatta sauce should be slightly thick, almost creamy with a little haze. Thanks to the reduced chicken broth, melted butter, and residual flour in the pan. Without the butter, you won’t achieve the same viscosity. If the sauce is still runny, add a little more butter or a pinch of flour and simmer.
- I use wine and chicken broth for liquids as opposed to broth and water. Wine, of course, adds more flavor and has nice fruity notes. Look for dry wines such as sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio. Avoid sweet wines.
- If the piccata sauce starts to dry out and gets too thick, a few tablespoons of water will help thin it out.
Patty always serves any piccata dish over pasta. This is entirely up to you and not a bad idea if I do add. Penne or linguine are a few of my faves.
More Salmon Recipes You’ll Love
Enjoy this recipe? If you made this recipe, please leave a ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ star rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments!
Salmon Piccata Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound salmon or steelhead trout filet, two 6-8oz cuts, skin removed**
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup white wine
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 lemons, juice from 1 lemon plus slices for garnish
- 2-3 tablespoons of capers
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Season fish with salt and pepper on both sides. Place flour on a plate and dredge fish in the flour until completely coated.
- Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a sizzle.
- Place fish in the pan, sear each side for 2-3 minutes until golden. Remove from the pan and place on a clean plate.
- reduce heat to low and let pan cool for a few minutes. Add lemon juice and minced garlic to the pan. Sauté about 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add capers and wine. Simmer for 3 minutes or until liquid is slightly reduced.
- Add chicken broth and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and chopped parsley. Simmer until slightly thickened and butter emulsifies (If too thick, add 1-2 tablespoons of water).
- Return fish to pan, coat with piccata sauce. Serve with lemon slices over pasta or with vegetables.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is great! My family loved it! A nice break from the chicken piccata!
So delicious! I used double the chicken broth since I didn’t have white wine. It was simple to make and I will serve again.
Made this tonight. Absolutely delicious! I loved the simple recipe and will definitely make this again!! Thank you sooo much!
Amazing dish, I cooked this for my wife one nite and she absolutely loved it.