If you’ve been hanging around these parts for a while, you’ve seen the name Melissa d’Arabian once or twice before. She was the winner of The Next Food Network Star a few seasons back who now has her own TFN show. I was pretty much in her corner from the beginning. I loved that she was a home cook competing with professionals and that she carried herself with confidence. It was very much a Rocky moment for me when she won.
So I’ve been watching her show, Ten Dollar Dinners. To be honest, I don’t manage to keep my food expenditures down to $2.50 per person. Not even by shopping sales, cutting coupons, and using my store “loyalty” cards. It’s a lofty goal and I give her mad props for showing that it can be done without sacrificing quality and that weeknight meals don’t have to involve canned this or microwaved that.
This is not to say that all of her recipes speak to me. Black bean brownies? Thank you, no. But the ones that I have gone online and printed out have won me over. Pot Roast Carbonnade? Crispy Skinned Orange Chicken? Braised Pork? All her recipes. And now it looks as though Fish Piccata has earned a spot on that list. This could quite easily become a regular weeknight meal at our house.
Fish Piccata
Adapted from Melissa d’Arabian
BAH Note: This is a quick cooking dish. Be sure to have all your ingredients prepped and ready before you start cooking. Don’t be tempted to dredge the fish in the flour and then let it sit on a plate while the oil heats. You’ll end up with gummy fish. While I personally enjoy gummi or swedish fish, you want to avoid gummy fish piccata.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 small fillets of tilapia or sole
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup white wine
- juice of 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed if you prefer
- 2 tablespoons butter
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. While the oil heats, dry the fish with paper towels and season with salt. Once you are ready to cook, dredge a fillet in the flour, shake off the excess, and place in the pan. Repeat with remaining fish fillets until all are in the pan
Cook about 4 minutes on each side, until the fish is browned and just cooked through. Transfer the fish to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
Use the white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. After about a minute, add the lemon juice and capers and whisk to combine. Whisk in the butter.
Serve the fillets topped with the sauce.
Bon Appetit Hon 