Tilapia Piccata (Tilapia with Lemon Caper Sauce)

4.88 from 8 votes

Tilapia Piccata (Tilapia with Lemon Caper Sauce)

Tilapia Piccata features tilapia fillets cooked in a delicious bright, lemony butter sauce. It's perfect for a quick weeknight dinner and your kids will love it too!

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings:

Calories: 263kcal

Author: Dr. Sonali Ruder

Equipment

Ingredients

1 cup reduced sodium chicken stock
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
¼ cup + 2 teaspoons flour, divided use
4 tilapia fillets (about 5 oz each) can substitute any mild, white fish like flounder, halibut, cod or grouper
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ cup dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Whisk the chicken stock, lemon juice, zest, and 2 teaspoons flour together in a measuring cup. Set aside.
Pat the tilapia fillets dry and season them with a pinch of salt and pepper. Place the remaining ¼ cup flour on a plate and lightly dredge the fillets in the flour on both sides, dusting off any excess. Discard the extra flour.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and add the fish. Cook until golden, about 3 minutes, then carefully flip the filets over and cook another 3 minutes on the second side. Remove the fish and place on a plate.
Add the garlic to the skillet and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the white wine and cook until reduced by half. Then, pour the reserved chicken stock mixture and capers into the skillet and cook until the sauce thickens, 2-3 minutes.
Lower the heat and stir in the butter, swirling it around until it melts into the sauce. Return the tilapia fillets back to the pan and spoon the sauce over them. Cook another minute until warmed through. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

Notes

Serve this Tilapia Piccata on a bed of angel hair, spaghetti squash, risotto, diced potatoes or mashed potatoes to soak up all the delicious lemony sauce. Check out my post on the 30 Best Side Dishes for Tilapia.

This recipe is easily adaptable and can be made with chicken breast or pork tenderloin.

Use a dry white wine that you enjoy drinking, like a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. You can enjoy the rest of the bottle with your dinner!

For nutritional calculations, I did not include the full ¼ cup flour used for dredging the fish but rather used 2 tablespoons, which is the amount of flour that adhered to the fish (the rest is discarded).

Nutrition