It’s so easy to look at the delicious recipes on blogs and Pinterest and then get discouraged when you try to find the ingredients for the recipes. All too often it seems like the ingredients for the elegant dishes are too hard to find or too expensive – or both!
But don’t despair – this Sole Piccata is perfect for cooking dinner on a budget. Sole is a white fish with a mild flavor and it’s relatively inexpensive and easy to find. It works well in a variety of dishes, including this delicious and elegant Sole Piccata.
Chicken piccata is one of my favorite dishes. I love the flavors, so I thought I’d give it a try with the sole instead of chicken. It’s so easy to make, but it’s so decadent and elegant. It’s ready in less than 30 minutes and you can easily pair it with roasted potatoes, cauliflower rice, and roasted veggies or a crisp salad to make it a complete meal.
The sole is prepared very simply and quickly. You just dust the fish with seasoned flour, then lightly pan fry it. The final touch is the sauce. The sole is topped with a beautiful sauce that’s made from wine, butter, and capers. And if you think that combination sounds delicious – you’re right.
And let me tell you – this wine and butter sauce is really the star of the recipe. It’s velvety and decadent and is the perfect way to jazz up the delicate sole without overwhelming the flavor of the fish. Even though the sauce is made with wine and butter, the whole dish isn’t too high in Points. You end up with the delicious and rich flavors of a high calorie dish for just a few Points, so you can enjoy your meal, guilt free.
I recommend a dry white wine for the sauce. All the alcohol evaporates during the cooking process, so you don’t need to worry about serving food with alcohol in it. You can make this with chicken broth, but I really prefer the depth of flavor that the wine gives it.
Capers are flower buds from the caper bush. They’re usually pickled or brined. You can find them in with the olives and pickles in most grocery stores. The dark green buds have a bright and rich flavor that provides a pop of flavor with the mild and delicious sole.
Fresh, flat-leaf or Italian parsley is great in this dish. It adds a fresh green to the dish and is perfect to get fresh out of the garden or at a farmer’s market this time of year. If you really like fresh herbs in your cooking, I recommend starting a kitchen herb garden with a few of the common herbs – parsley, basil, oregano, and thyme are all great options.
With a kitchen herb garden, you can have just a few herbs and always enough fresh for your recipes without having a large bunch from the grocery store that ends up going to waste.
I absolutely love this dish. The mild and delicate sole is a perfect way to switch up your menu and add a little fish to it. The rich and delicious wine and butter sauce are perfectly flavored, and the lemon and capers add the finishing touch. Give this one a try – you’ll feel like you went to dinner at a fancy restaurant. It’ll be our secret that it’s simple, easy, and inexpensive!
Sole Piccata Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh sole - (cut into about 8 small, thin fillets)
- ⅓ cup whole wheat flour - (all-purpose)
- 2 tbsp butter
- ½ cup white wine
- ¼ cup capers - (drained)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ cup fresh parsley - (finely chopped)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a shallow dish, combine flour, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Rinse fish well with water. Using a paper towel, pat them dry, then dip into the flour mixture, making sure to coat both sides evenly.
- Heat oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add fish fillets, and fry until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer fish to a paper towel lined plate and keep warm.
- Add wine to skillet, and deglaze pan by scraping up any bits along the bottom. Let the wine boil for a minute or two, until greatly reduced, then add in the lemon juice and capers. Simmer for another minute or two.
- Turn off heat and add in the butter, stirring regularly until butter is melted. Stir in half the parsley. Top fish with remaining parsley before serving.
