Weekend Cooking: Easy Fish Piccata

We eat a lot of seafood in my family and every year around the beginning of Lent, I search for new recipes to add to my repertoire. Pinterest is a favorite source of inspiration and last week's find was Easy Fish Piccata. We all loved it but, unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture. I suppose I could have borrowed the photo from Pinterest, but I used a different type of fish... and the recipe was delicious so we were all happy to eat it again this week!

My pin is linked to Very Culinary blog. That recipe calls for frozen barramundi fillets which, as I learned from the post, is sometimes referred to as "sustainable sea bass". They can be purchased at Trader Joe's, but since TJ's won't make a debut in my area until fall, I perused the fresh fish offerings at Wegmans. I opted for flounder, but think sole, tilapia, or similar white fish would have worked just as well.

Here is my adapted version of the recipe:

Easy Fish Piccata 
Serves 2
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
• 2 Flounder fillets (about 6 ounces each)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• all-purpose flour (I used Wegman's Pan Searing Flour)
• nonstick spray
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 garlic gloves, minced
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon drained capers
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• fresh lemon slices
• chopped fresh Italian parsley

Directions
Season fillets with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then dredge in flour. Coat a sauté pan or electric skillet with nonstick spray, add oil, and heat to medium-high. Saute fillets for about 4 minutes on one side; gently flip over and saute the other side for about 3-4 minutes (depending on thickness) until golden. Transfer fillets to a platter.

Deglaze pan with wine and add minced garlic. Cook until liquid is nearly evaporated, about 1-2 minutes. Add broth, lemon juice, and capers. Add in butter. Once butter melts, pour sauce over fillets. Garnish with lemon slices and chopped fresh parsley. Serve immediately.

I served the fish with steamed broccoli and roasted butternut squash. If I'd prepared the squash ahead of time and just warmed it up, the entire dinner could have been on the table in just 15minutes. Meals don't get much quicker or easier than that!

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