Salmon Piccata Recipe | Easy Italian Dinner Recipe (2024)

ByMelissa JohnsonPublished On: February 20, 2019May 9, 2023Updated On:May 9, 2023

Don’t miss this quick and easy Salmon Piccata Recipe with all of the authentic Italian flavors of lemon, garlic and capers. It’s really no secret that I’m about as Italian as it gets! I pretty much always talk with my hands, have some serious volume control issues, and love to give giant bear hugs. ;) Those are definitely some side effects of being raised in an Italian family- LOL! Growing up Italian came with a lot of perks though. Not only did I learn the proper way to give those bear hugs ;), but I learned how to host huge family gatherings and of course cook some delicious Italian dishes! One of our famous family recipes is for a homemade Salmon Piccata. I can vividly remember my mom making this recipe for dinner as a kid. Now as a mom myself, I can totally understand why it was one of her favorite recipes to make. This Salmon Piccata is such a classy recipe that is super easy to make! It’s packed full of amazing flavors and can be prepped, cooked, and served in under 30 minutes!

What is Piccata?

Piccata recipes are some of my absolute favorite recipes to make! From the traditional Veal Piccata to the super popular Chicken Piccata, piccata recipes are guaranteed to be huge hits for family dinners! These days, there are so many variations and twists on piccata recipes, but for a recipe to earn that piccata title, there are a few requirements! ;) In Italian cooking, piccata basically refers to how your meat is prepared and the type of sauce it’s prepared in. The meat you’re using should be cut fairly thin, so you can easily saute it and quickly sear it. Then you’ll need a buttery, lemony sauce to top off your piccata recipe. The great thing about any piccata recipe is how quickly you can throw it together! No matter what variation you choose, a classic piccata recipe is fantastically fool-proof and incredibly delicious!

Salmon Piccata Recipe

My easy recipe for salmon piccata, starts with a pinch of salt! I always, always season my salmon fillets in sea salt and let them rest before cooking. I prefer sea salt, but you can also opt for other, coarse salts like Kosher salt, if that’s what you have on hand. While your salmon fillets are absorbing the salt, heat up a tablespoon of grapeseed oil in a large skillet. If you haven’t ever used grapeseed oil, this is a great recipe for you to get familiar with it! I am actually a huge fan of grapeseed oil! It’s got a light flavor and texture, so it easily incorporates into all kinds of dishes. Plus it has a super high smoking point! The smoking point is just the temperature where an oil starts giving off a pesky smoke, so it’s definitely something to keep in mind! Grapeseed oil’s smoking point is a lot higher than olive oil’s, so I’ve found myself using it more and more. It’s nice for recipes that require a lot of searing or sauteing, so I’m not smoking up the whole house while cooking! ;) Once your skillet is super hot and coated with oil, you can add in your fillets and let them cook! Depending on the size and thickness of your fillets, they should only take about 4 minutes on each side before they’re ready!

Salmon Piccata Sauce

A creamy, lemon caper sauce is what truly makes this Salmon Piccata! I can clearly remember my mom making this sauce as a kid. It always smelled so heavenly! I would constantly try to sneak my little fingers into the pan to steal a taste! I got in trouble soooo many times for messing with the piccata sauce, but it was always worth it! Now as the cook, I can sample the the sauce as much as I like! Perks of adulthood right? ;) To whip up some of this sauce, start by sauteing some garlic in about one tablespoon of melted butter. Add in your white wine and wait until the ingredients are boiling and some of the alcohol has evaporated off before adding in your stock and lemon juice. After all of your ingredients have been combined together and the sauce has slightly thickened, you can add the salmon fillets back to the skillet. Mix your capers into the rest of your sauce and spoon the sauce over your fillets a few times before serving. This will let the amazing sauce flavors melt into the salmon! :)

Serving Salmon Piccata

Displaying this Salmon Piccata recipe is effortless! Personally, I love to serve the fillets right in the skillet! It’s definitely an easy option that still looks gorgeous! You can also serve the salmon fillets already over a bed of a thin pasta, if you have a super hungry family. ;) No matter how it’s served, I like to finish off my Salmon Piccata with some chopped parsley and thinly sliced lemons as garnish. The color combos and small little details honestly take this recipe to the next level! :)

I am so excited for you guys to try out one of my all time favorite childhood recipes! Do you have any secret family recipes? Or any recipes that just instantly remind you of home? My family’s Salmon Piccata recipe is one of those recipes for me! I guarantee that this easy recipe is going to be a new favorite for your family too! :)