Name: Easy Salmon Piccata
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 2 (6 oz.) portions Sockeye Salmon or Coho Salmon; ½ cup vegetable broth or white wine; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; Flour, for dredging; High-heat cooking oil; 2 tablespoons butter; 2 teaspoons capers; Handful of parsley, finely chopped

One-Pan Salmon with Lemon Caper Sauce

This easy salmon piccata recipe pairs pan-fried salmon with lemon caper sauce that you’ll make in the same pan. It’s a simple, saucy meal that’s done in under 20 minutes.

The piccata sauce is the perfect balance of buttery richness and lemony acidity, studded with the briny pop of capers. It’s a velvety sauce that instantly elevates a flaky, flavorful fillet of wild-caught sockeye or coho. Generously spoon the piccata sauce over the fish, and serve with a side of bread to help sop up any sauce that’s left on the plate.

salmon piccata in pan

What is piccata sauce made of?

Piccata sauce is an easy pan sauce made from lemon juice, capers, and butter. Usually, a splash of stock or white wine is used to deglaze the pan, which helps produce a more flavorful sauce overall. Some recipes add garlic or shallots to the sauce, but they’re not essential ingredients.

Love seafood with capers? Try using a white species like Pacific halibut or rockfish to make White Fish Piccata. Piccata sauce is versatile and can complement your favorite fish. Or for a different sauce altogether, see if one of these other Sauces for Salmon are more to your taste.

The WAC recipe team featured a Sauce One-Pan Salmon Piccata in a how-to video. Watch the recording of the cooking demo to see how it's made.

Print Recipe

Easy Salmon Piccata

By Wild Alaskan Company

Prep time

5 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Total time

20 minutes

Yield

2 servings

Ingredients

2 (6 oz.) portions Sockeye Salmon or Coho Salmon
½ cup vegetable broth or white wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Flour, for dredging
High-heat cooking oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons capers
Handful of parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Combine vegetable broth/wine and lemon juice in small bowl. Set aside.

2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. While skillet preheats, pat salmon fillets dry with clean kitchen towel or paper towels to remove excess moisture. Season both sides with salt and pepper, then dredge lightly in flour.

3. Add just enough high-heat cooking oil to cover bottom of hot pan. When oil begins to shimmer (sizzling hot), carefully add fillets skin-side down, pressing firmly into pan with a fish spatula for 20 seconds to ensure good skin to pan contact. Sear, undisturbed, until fish releases easily from pan, about 3 to 4 minutes depending on thickness of fillet. Flip to sear remaining side, about 1 to 3 more minutes. Fish is medium-rare when internal temperature reaches 120F at its thickest part on an instant-read thermometer, or when it flakes easily with a fork.

4. Transfer fillets to a serving plate. Deglaze pan with broth/wine mixture, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet. Cook until reduced by half, a few minutes. Add capers and parsley, then remove skillet from heat. Whisk in butter until incorporated and sauce takes on a glossy sheen.

5. Pour over salmon fillets and enjoy immediately with a side of crusty bread to soak up sauce.

Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of food-borne illness, especially if you have a certain medical condition. The FDA recommends an internal temperature of 145°F for cooked fish.

Easy Salmon Piccata

One-Pan Salmon with Lemon Caper Sauce

What is piccata sauce made of?

Easy Salmon Piccata

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