Rockfish Piccata

After some of the team went on a little shore dive mission, we all met back up at a local park to make lunch. It was a simple and tasty, single-pan meal that only took a few minutes to make. You’ll want to use a large pan that is capable of staying hot (better quality) and distributing heat. This is a recipe that is best served hot immediately after cooking so make sure you have any side dishes made ahead of time. Would pair well with garlic rice or cous cous.

We made a catch and cook video too!

Ingredients

• 1-2 Pounds of white meat fish (we used various CA rock fish - skin on or off)

• 1/2 C all purpose flour

• 2 tsp Salt

• 2 tsp Pepper

• 2 tsp Paprika

• 1/4 C Ghee or Clarified butter

• 2 Sprigs of fresh oregano

• 3 Cloves of Garlic, rough chopped

• 2 Lemons, juiced

• 3 Tbsp Olive oil

• 4 Tbsp Capers, drained

• 1/2 C White Wine

• Fresh Parsley, Chopped

Method

Start off by making sure you’ve treated the fish well up to this point (click here to learn how to keep your fish in the best quality possible from harvest to kitchen). We think this recipe is well suited for fillets that have been scaled but with skin left on.

In a shallow bowl, mix the flour, salt, pepper, and paprika. Take the fish fillets (skin on or off), pat them dry, and toss them in the bowl to be covered by the flower and spices. Keep the flour mixture to be used later.

In a quality pan, over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of the ghee and let it melt. toss in the sprigs of oregano and chunks of garlic. Add the fish fillets to the pan and don’t flip them until the bottom has developed a nice brown crust. 80% of their cooking should be on the side that first touches the pan, then flip and finish the other side for 1-2 minutes. While they are cooking, spoon the ghee over the top of the fillets. Add more ghee as needed to keep a thin layer at the bottom of the pan.

Once you’ve finished cooking the fillets, set them aside, cover them, then reduce the heat on the pan to low and add the wine to deglaze the pan. Next add the capers, lemon juice, some more butter/ghee and enough of the flour mixture to help thicken the sauce. Let it reduce for a minute or two then add the fish back into the pan to gently coat with the sauce. Sprinkle it with parsley and it's ready to eat! Pour the extra sauce over the fish on your plate or soak it up with some yummy sourdough bread.

If you give this recipe a shot, let us know how you love it!