Lemony Salmon Piccata

This restaurant-quality Salmon Piccata serves up crispy salmon fillets glazed with a tangy sauce made with lemon juice, wine, capers and butter.

What is Salmon Piccata?

Salmon piccata is a variation of a classic Italian dish traditionally made with veal or chicken, known as piccata. The dish features a vibrant, tangy sauce made with lemon, butter, and capers, as well as sometimes white wine, garlic and parsley.

Salmon replaces the traditional meat in this recipe, making it an excellent option for those who prefer seafood or who are looking for an alternative to red meat.

Salmon Piccata Recipe Ingredients

• salmon fillets – more on this below!
• flour – we’ll be lightly dredging the salmon in flour to make it nice and crispy.
• butter – unsalted butter will thicken and add flavor to the sauce.
• olive oil – we’ll also add a little olive oil for flavor.
• garlic – I call for 4 minced garlic cloves below, but measure it with your heart.
• chicken broth – this is the backbone of this piccata sauce.
• white wine – this adds a bright, acidic note to the sauce. I use pinot grigio!
• lemon juice – one of the star flavors of this dish! Make sure you are using juice from fresh lemons, not bottled juice. Buy a few extra lemons for a lemon smoothie tomorrow for breakfast.
• lemon zest – this adds an extra punch of lemon to the salmon piccata sauce.
• capers – you’ll need a full 1/4 cup. I buy the kind packed in brine, and drain and rinse them before using. You can also buy the salt-packed ones and rinse them really well, but I prefer the brine kind.
• thyme – I think a fresh herb works really nicely in this dish, and thyme is my favorite. Extra thyme can be used to make savory oatmeal or colcannon soup.
• salt and pepper – always!
• parsley – I like to finish this dish with finely chopped fresh parsley for color, but this is optional.

How to buy the best fish for lemon salmon piccata:

Just like with my crab stuffed salmon recipe and salmon sandwich, I prefer thicker, center-cut pieces of salmon, and not thinner, tail-end pieces for salmon piccata.

The tail end pieces are really better for a recipe where the salmon is going to be flaked, like salmon alfredo or Cajun salmon pasta.

If you have a grocery store, butcher, or seafood market where you can specify that you need center-cut pieces, that’s ideal for this recipe.

You want skinless salmon for this recipe. If you happen to buy fillets with the skin on, just use your fingers and a sharp paring knife to carefully cut and peel the skin away from the fish before cooking.

You can use any variety of salmon you like best for this salmon piccata recipe, whether that’s Atlantic salmon, sockeye salmon, or something else. Food & Wine’s Guide to Every Type of Salmon You Can Buy will help you learn the differences.

How to make salmon piccata

1. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and then lightly dredge it in flour.
2. Sear the salmon in butter and olive oil in a large nonstick skillet until it’s a nice deep golden brown.
3. Take the salmon out of the pan and put it on a plate covered with foil to keep it warm while you make the sauce.
4. The sauce starts by very quickly sauteeing some garlic just to release its flavor, and then adding the broth, wine and lemon juice. Cook this 8 to 10 minutes or until the liquid reduces by half and starts to take on more of a sauce consistency.
5. Finish the salmon piccata sauce with capers, thyme, lemon zest, a bit more butter, and salt and pepper. Transfer the salmon back to the pan and give it a few turns until it’s nicely glazed in the sauce.
6. Garnish with parsley and serve!

What to serve with salmon piccata

My absolute favorite side dishes for salmon piccata are orzo and steamed broccoli, because I just love the combination of salmon and orzo.

My salmon piccata recipe makes a generous amount of sauce, so I spoon some of the sauce over the orzo, too. You could even turn this dish into a salmon piccata pasta by making some noodles, breaking up the salmon, and tossing everything together.

You could also serve this with Israeli couscous, like I did with pesto salmon.

Other great vegetable side dishes are balsamic green beans and roasted glazed carrots.

If this is for a special Valentine’s Day dinner for your sweetie, finish the meal with heart jam cookies or a chocolate brownie pie.