BEST Salmon Piccata (Lemon Butter Caper Sauce)
Updated May 31, 2025, Published Mar 19, 2022
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This Salmon Piccata also known as Salmon in Lemon Butter Caper Sauce is an easy, light, and fresh dish, that’s ready in about 20-minutes! You get all the flavors you love in “piccata” with a salmon twist!
If you love salmon, try this Salmon with Pesto, Baked Salmon Steaks, and Salmon with Potatoes next!
“I made this for dinner last night and what a hit it was. Everyone lost their mind over this amazing salmon piccata recipe. It was easy and quick to make…Just so good, I will use this recipe in the future . Again, thank you, it is the real, deal piccata.”
– Carol
I love salty capers in this salmon piccata! This buttery lemon sauce is a great way to serve up fresh salmon. It makes a delicious meal that is ready with little time. I make this salmon with lemon caper sauce in one pan, which makes for easy clean-up!
I think you will also love my Pasta al Limone and this vegetarian Ravioli Piccata too!
Table of Contents
Simple Ingredients
- Salmon fillets: Wild-caught Pacific salmon is often considered the healthiest—and it’s my personal favorite. Atlantic salmon is usually farmed but works just as well. Choose skin-on fillets to help retain flavor and prevent the fish from drying out.
- Aromatics: Minced shallot and garlic layer cook in the butter at the start for flavor.
- Broth: A bit of broth creates the base of the lemon caper butter sauce and intensifies the flavor. You can use chicken or vegetable broth.
- Lemon: Freshly squeezed lemon juice adds acidity to the piccata sauce and the zest deepens the lemon flavor.
- Capers: The briny, slightly tangy flavor of capers cuts through the richness of the butter and balances the acidity of the lemon juice. They also add a punch of saltiness and complexity, giving the sauce that signature sharp, savory bite that makes piccata taste so bright and bold.
- Butter: Use high fat, good quality butter. It will make a big difference in the richness of your sauce. I love the Kerrygold brand, but there are lots of other good quality high-fat butter varieties. The richer the butter in this recipe the creamier and tastier the sauce!
Substitutions and Variations
- Bake Instead of Pan Cooking. You can bake salmon on a baking sheet and make the sauce separately. Once your salmon is baked, then spoon the sauce on top of the salmon and serve.
- Serve with Grilled Salmon. You can also cook the salmon on your outdoor grill and add the sauce after the salmon is cooked.
- Use a Different Fish. Like in my lemon butter cod recipe, this caper butter sauce for salmon works just as well with tilapia, cod, Mahi-Mahi, trout, sea-bass, Wahoo, Striped Bass, or any other white fish you like.
- Skip the Capers. If you are making this dish as a family dinner and your kids do not like capers, you can leave them out and turn them into a plain lemon garlic sauce.
How to Make Salmon Piccata
Golden and crisp on top and just barely cooked at the center, this pan-seared salmon is one of my go-to recipes when I crave salmon. Not only is it fast, but it’s also elegant and perfect for serving at an occasion or a dinner at home on a busy night.
Step #1: Pat your salmon dry with a paper towel and season with salt.
Step #2: Heat your skillet over medium high heat with olive oil. Place the salmon in the skillet, skin side up to cook. Let it cook four minutes without moving. Then flip it over and continue cooking until it’s done to your liking. Remove the salmon to a plate.
Step #3: Add the butter, shallot, garlic, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the same skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the aromatics are fragrant and soft.
Step #4: Add the chicken broth, lemon juice, capers, and lemon zest to the skillet. Simmer for 4 minutes to reduce slightly.
Step #5: Place the salmon back in the pan and heat for an extra minute. Spoon the sauce over the salmon, garnish with parsley, and serve warm.
If you love fish recipes, try my pan seared Chilean sea bass and this blackened cod recipe, next!
My Pro Tips
Recipe Tips
- Use a Heated Pan. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick large skillet over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Your salmon must hit the hot oil- this is one reason salmon sticks to the pan from the start.
- Cook Without Moving. Cook the salmon, skin side up, until golden and crisp, about 4 minutes. Resist the urge to touch the fillets as they cook. Letting the fish sear untouched in hot oil creates that lovely, flavorful, golden crust that makes this dish restaurant-worthy.
- Storing Leftovers. Store any leftovers in the fridge in a tight-fitting container for up to three days. You can flake up the salmon and add it to a salad or toss it with some perfectly cooked spaghetti or pasta. When reheating, you may need to add extra olive oil to thin out the sauce.
Recipe FAQ’s
Most definitely! Frozen wild salmon is sometimes better than fresh salmon because it’s frozen fresh off the boat and then shipped. The quality of fresh wild salmon starts to deteriorate as soon as it’s harvested, but frozen salmon bypasses that part, making it the superior choice. Be sure to thaw it in the fridge ahead of time. If you need to quickly thaw it out you can place it in a large bowl with cold water and submerge the salmon fillets in a resealable plastic bag in the water.
Piccata is true to its name, sharp and puckery, but it’s also quick and luxurious.
It’s essentially a warm vinaigrette that you sizzle together in a frying pan: fat (butter), acid (lemon juice and slim half-moons of lemon), biting alliums (minced shallot and garlic), and capers for briny flavor.
For a thicker sauce, I recommend cooking the sauce longer, allowing it to reduce so that it thickens naturally.
Your piccata sauce may break if it cooks at too high a temperature. This occurs when the fat separates and it appears greasy or oily rather than as a smooth emulsion. Add a tablespoon of broth to the skillet and whisk it quickly to restore the texture.
Serving Suggestions
Pair it with a few salmon side dishes for a complete meal!
Serve your salmon piccata with a side of Italian fennel salad or citrus salad, this shredded zucchini pasta, and no knead Italian bread for a meal that tastes like an Italian restaurant!
Weeknight dinners are great with a simple vegetable side dish served with this salmon with lemon caper sauce. We love these sautéed green beans, crispy Brussels sprouts, or this Italian artichoke soup to start the meal.
More Delicious Italian Recipes
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Salmon with Lemon Caper Sauce (Salmon Piccata Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 large salmon fillets, 5- to 6-ounce each
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if needed
Piccata Sauce
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice, about one lemon
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, about 1 large lemon
- 3 tablespoons capers
- ½ cup chicken broth, or vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped (for garnish)
- Optional: lemon slices for serving
Instructions
- Pat your salmon fillets dry and seasoning with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste.
- Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Cook the salmon until golden and crisp on the outside, about 4 minutes. Resist the urge to touch with the fillets as they cook. Carefully flip the fillets and reduce the heat to medium.
- Continue cooking until done to your liking, 1 to 2 minutes more, depending on how well done you like your salmon. Using a slotted spatula, remove the fish to a plate to rest.
- Return the pan to medium heat and add butter, shallot, garlic, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until fragrant and soft, about 1 minute.
- Add the chicken broth, lemon juice, capers, and lemon zest. Simmer for 4 minutes to reduce slightly. Place salmon back in the pan and heat for an extra minute. Then, spoon the sauce over the salmon. Garnish with parsley and serve warm. Serve with lemon slices, if desired.
Notes
- Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high until it’s hot and shimmering—salmon needs to hit hot oil to prevent sticking. Place the fillets skin side up and let them cook undisturbed for about 4 minutes until golden and crisp. Resist flipping or moving them too soon—that untouched sear is what gives you that perfect restaurant-style crust.
- Got leftovers? Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Flake the salmon into a salad or toss with pasta. If reheating, a splash of olive oil helps loosen up the sauce.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
this was a game changer for me with salmon. The 4 minutes on one side made a huge difference and the sauce is amazing.
Yes! SO happy you loved it. So fresh and tasty!
I Loved this! Delicious way to cook salmon.
So happy you loved it!
Have been making this now for a little while – wonderful recipe! I’ve started to add pasta to the sauce and it has been a staple in our home.
I love that you are using the sauce for pasta! YUM!
Ciao Elena, a che bella ricetta e molto semplice! Posso usare il vino bianco nella piccata? Grazie.
Siii!
Amazing dish. Dairy allergy in the house so substituted soy based “butter”. Also had no stock so used white wine. Fabulous. Thanks!!
You are welcome! Happy you loved it and made the substitution you needed.
This was such a hit with my fiancé!! We enjoyed it. So much flavor and easy to make. I am planning on making it again this week.
Happy you loved it!
I made this tonight and we love it! The sauce is wonderful. My salmon was thick on one end and needed to cook a little longer in the sauce. My husband who is not a fish lover, said it was great and he loved it. I especially liked the amount of capers. Definitely a keeper
Thank you! Yes, the flavors work great with salmon. THe capers a little extra 🙂
This is one of the best sauces for salmon that I’ve tried. Simple and absolutely delicious!
Yay! So happy you love it! Many more salmon recipe to try as well.
I made this for dinner last night and what a hit it was. Everyone lost their mind over this amazing salmon piccata recipe. It was easy and quick to make and my guests were served a top restaurant entree’ . Thank you, thank you, thank you to the culinary genius Elena for making this dish attainable to anyone who wants to make a 5 star meal. This recipe is fail proof. Just so good, I will use this recipe in the future . Again, thank you, it is the real, deal piccata .
You are welcome! It is a favorite and so easy to make. Happy you loved it!!