Salmon Piccata for Two

I’ve been on an Italian cooking spree lately. Not that I’d ever turn down an Italian meal….any night of the week, but a recently cancelled trip to Italy resulted in me consoling myself with cooking Italian, eating Italian, and, of course, wine.

I was attempting to come up with an easy and delicious protein to serve as the “secondo” (second) course in an Italian meal I was making. The “primi” (first course) was some homemade ricotta gnocchetti topped with fresh pesto and freshly grated Parmesan and pepper. (Is your mouth watering yet?!) Frozen salmon filets were about the only thing I had on hand. Ok, so salmon isn’t exactly Tuscan, or even Italian, but piccata does have its Italian origins. FYI, piccata references the method of preparing food, particularly meat or fish, it means “sliced, sautéed, and served in a sauce containing lemon, butter and spices.” Traditionally, in Italy, it was veal piccata.

This recipe checked all the boxes: easy, delicious, Italian-ish.

Salmon Piccata

2, 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets
sea salt and lemon pepper (or black pepper), to taste
1/8 cup flour
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1/6 cup dry white wine (the rest of the bottle pairs quite nicely with cooking AND dinner)
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock/broth
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons rinsed and drained capers
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped parsley to serve
Lemon slices to serve

Season both sides of salmon fillets evenly with salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup of the flour to a shallow dish; dredge the salmon in the flour to evenly coat. Shake off excess.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large nonstick pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to mix through the butter.

Sear salmon for 4 minutes on each side or until cooked to your liking. Transfer salmon to a warm plate; cover and set aside.

Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the pan. Saute garlic for a further minute until fragrant. Add wine; bring to a boil scraping any browned bits off of the bottom of the pan. Cook until liquid almost evaporates, stirring occasionally.

Add about 2/3 of the chicken stock to the pan along with the lemon juice; bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes.

Whisk cornstarch (or cornflour) together with the reserved chicken stock. Pour the mixture into the pan, stirring until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Stir capers through the sauce. Place the salmon fillets back into the pan, gently turning each fillet to evenly coat in the sauce.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley and extra pepper. Serve immediately over rice or pasta, alongside potatoes and veggies, or as I did, as the “secondo” in a lineup of Italian courses.

Buon appetito! Saluti!