Snapper Piccata

The savory taste of this lemon, butter, and white wine sauce with capers over fish has made it a melt-in-your-mouth favorite in our family. The secret addition of cornstarch to the flour really helps the light coating stay on the fish while it cooks. Where we live in South Florida there is a wide variety of snapper available, such as red, hog, mutton, and yellowtail. All are delicious, and if you don’t have access to those varieties, another mild, white, flaky fish will work nicely.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

• 3⁄4 cup all-purpose flour

• 1⁄2 cup cornstarch

  The Modern Hippie Table Lauren Thomas

• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

• 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1  1⁄2 pounds snapper fillets, skinned and bones removed

• 5 tablespoons butter, divided

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1⁄2 cup white wine

• Juice of 1 lemon plus 1 lemon, sliced

• 1⁄4 cup capers, drained

• Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

In a shallow dish, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, and pepper until combined. Dredge the fish in the flour mixture, making sure to coat both sides. Set aside on a plate.

In a 15-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat 3 tablespoons of the butter and the olive oil until slightly bubbly. Add the fish and cook until golden brown,
5 to 6 minutes on each side. Depending on the size of the fish fillets, you may need to cook the fish in batches (add an extra 1 tablespoon of butter and 1⁄2 tablespoon of oil to the next batch if that’s the case). Transfer the fish to a serving plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the garlic to the skillet and cook until the garlic starts to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the wine, lemon juice, and capers, remove from the heat, and stir until combined. Pour the sauce over the fish. garnish with parsley and lemon slices and serve immediately.

Reprinted with permission from The Modern Hippie Table by Lauren Thomas, The Collective Book Studio, October 2022. Photo credit by Kristy Horst

When you shop using our links; we earn a small commission. It’s a great way to support public media at no extra cost to you!