So Many Dishes

There’s fish, and then there’s fish. Yellowtail snapper has been one of my favorites ever since we first tasted it, shortly after we moved to Florida in 1976. At that time, we lived in Homestead, which is about as close to the Keys as you can live and still be on the mainland. We didn’t think twice about driving to Key Largo for a wonderful seafood dinner, or getting up early on a Saturday morning to fish off one of the Channel No. 2 bridge near Islamorada.

There are so many tasty kinds of fish, but my favorite has always been yellowtail snapper. The fish usually aren’t real big, and a fillet is usually the perfect single serving. It is the sweetest tasting fish, and my mouth is watering, just typing about it.

We’ve discovered that Whole Foods sometimes has fresh yellowtail fillets in their seafood case. So we stopped in yesterday morning to buy some to use in fish piccata this evening.

I’ve made chicken piccata for years. It was always one of the kids’ favorite meals. So when I discovered the Mediterranean Dish’s version with fish, I had to try it. We first made it with flounder, and it was good. Then we tried it with yellowtail. Heaven! It has become my first choice of fish if we put the recipe on the menu.

It’s an incredibly quick and easy recipe. I joked this evening that it took longer to clean up after dinner than to cook it. And you’d best have your sides ready to go, because this is not something you can leave on the stove.

I have not changed anything about this recipe. Do not mess with perfection! I didn’t have as much fish as the recipe calls for-I asked for two fillets, which weighed about two-thirds of a pound, perfect for the two of us- but didn’t cut anything else. That meant we had extra sauce to put on our spaghetti, which is the traditional piccata side. The recipe says to cook in a cast iron skillet, and I use my enameled cast iron Lodge skillet. My nonstick skillet would probably work, but I follow the directive that, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it 😂

Easy Fish Piccata

• 1 lb. thin white fish fillet, such as sole, flounder, or snapper
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup flour for dredging
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 lemons for the juice
• 1/2 cup white wine (or chicken broth)
• 4 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

Season the fish on both sides with salt and pepper. Mix the oregano, paprika, and garlic powder, and spread evenly on the fish. Coat the fish on both sides with the flour. Gently shake off excess flour.

In a large cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-high heat. Carefully add the fish and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side (a total of 4 to 6 minutes), or until the fish is firm and flaky. Be careful not to overcook the fish. Transfer the fish to a plate lined with paper towel to drain excess oil.

To the same pan, add 1 more tablespoon of butter. Lower the heat to medium, and add the lemon juice, white wine, and capers. Cook briefly, 1 to 2 minutes.

Return the fish to the pan and spoon the sauce over the fish, giving it just enough time to warm through in the sauce-a minute or less.

Serve immediately, with optional garnishes of chopped parsley and/or red pepper flakes. Serves 4.

Happy eating!