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haddock piccata on a plate
5 from 8 votes

Haddock Piccata

Blog: www.nextinlime.com

Author: Nelo Samad
Servings: 2

Ingredients

For piccata sauce

  • 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter - unsalted (Note A)
  • 3 cloves garlic - finely minced or grated
  • 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
  • ¾ cup (177 ml) chicken stock/broth - low sodium (Note A), or use vegetable broth/stock
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1.5 tablespoons capers - drained (Note B)
  • 4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley - and some extra for garnish

For pan fried haddock

  • 12 ounces (340 g) haddock fillets - skinless, cut longer fillets into halves or thirds (Note C)
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper - more or less to taste
  • 2.5 tablespoons olive oil - or any cooking oil

Optional garnish

  • few lemon slices

Instructions

Prepare the sauce

  • To make piccata sauce, first melt butter over low heat in a saucepan. Then add garlic, saute 1 minute until fragrant – but not browned.
  • Sprinkle in the flour, stir 1 more minute. Add broth/stock and whisk until the mixture looks smooth. Bring to a simmer and let it thicken slightly (takes around 1 to 2 minutes) – stir frequently.
  • Now add ground black pepper, salt and capers. Bring to a simmer again, let it cook 1 more minute, then turn off the heat.

Prepare the haddock

  • In a dish, combine the flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder plus cayenne and mix well.
  • Lay a haddock fillet in this flour mix, press down gently to coat then flip and repeat with other side. Lift and gently shake off any excess flour. Repeat for all fish pieces.
  • In a skillet/pan (I prefer non-stick), heat olive oil on medium-high heat. When hot, lay the fish in – it should sizzle on contact. Don't crowd the pan. Cook undisturbed 2 to 3 minutes on one side (depending on thickness) or until the haddock looks golden brown.
  • Flip, then cook another 2 to 3 minutes (internal temperature of 145°F / 63°C is the goal). Once cooked, remove from the skillet.

Finalize the piccata sauce and serve

  • Just before the haddock is fully cooked, warm up the sauce on medium heat. Once it starts to simmer, add the lemon juice, lemon zest plus chopped parsley. If it looks too thick, add a splash of broth/stock. Stir well, taste and adjust salt if needed.
  • To serve, place the haddock piece(s) on a plate, spoon the piccata sauce over, garnish with extra parsley plus lemon slices and enjoy!

Notes

Note A: Salt quantity – when using salted butter and/or regular broth (not the low-sodium kind), reduce or omit the amount of added salt in the piccata sauce. You can always add more later.
Note B: Capers – smaller varieties (like nonpareil) are preferred. Bigger ones may need to be cut/chopped. Opt for the brined capers (not the salt-packed options) and drain before use.
Note C: Haddock – when using frozen fish, make sure it's thawed completely. Also, pat it dry before you begin the prep. Haddock fillets break apart easily so I cut longer ones into halves or thirds for easier handling. I cut 2 fillets (12 ounces total) to make 6 pieces for this recipe.
Note D: Helpful content – click on the links below for related useful content in the main body of the post.
Note E: Related – want another easy haddock recipe? Try this foil-baked haddock.