Tilapia with Lemon and Caper Sauce

This recipe is basically a "piccata" for fish.  My dad and I would order a dish similar to this one at a restaurant we loved in Scottsdale, AZ.  He called me the other day wanting detailed...I mean, DETAILED information on how to prepare so here we go daddy-o....Now, warning...because this is a truly "shoot from the hip" recipe, the measurements are approximate.  This is another taste the sauce as you go scenario, but again, very difficult to screw up!

Tilapia with Lemon and Caper Sauce

4 tilapia fillets* (amount of sauce can be increased to account for amount of fish)
1-2 cups flour
Salt and Pepper
1 juicy lemon, if it doesnt feel juicy use 2, and 1 T of grated lemon rind.
2 garlic cloves, smashed but not chopped, so you can take it out of the sauce before serving
2-4 T capers-drained, just eyeball it...you will be able to tell if you need more
1/2-3/4 c chicken stock, to taste
2-4 T of butter
EVOO
1 T chopped fresh parsley for color*

 

I missed a bunch of ingredients in this pic...sorry--baby was fussing! haha

Grate lemon rind, smoosh garlic and drain capers....

 

 

In a large nonstick saute pan, over medium-high heat, warm up approx. 2 T EVOO (couple twirls of the pan.)*

While the pan and oil warm,  pour flour into a shallow dish.  Salt and pepper the flour and stir to distribute.  Dredge fish in flour and shake off excess. --Missed this step in my photos, sorry--

Place 2 fish fillets into pan and cook until golden brown on both sides and cooked through (fish will flake easily when done.) Continue until all fish is done. Set aside.

At this point, you should add a bit more evoo to the pan, maybe one more swirl of the pan.  Add smooshed (hahaha) garlic and spin around in the oil a bit.  DO NOT LET THE GARLIC BROWN, it will make your oil taste funky!  You only want to flavor the oil with the garlic so basically warm the garlic for maybe 30 seconds or until you smell the garlic, it should be very fragrant, then discard garlic.

That is garlic, sorry, damn light in the kitchen made it white as can be.

Add lemon juice to the pan, it will bubble aggressively, which is what you want. All that bubbling will release the brown bits the fish left over and that, my friends, is FLAVOR!!!!  Let the lemon juice reduce a bit, maybe a minute or two, then add chicken stock.  Let the sauce warm up again, your chicken stock will cool it a bit.  Once warm again, drop in your capers.

Let the sauce reduce again for 1-2 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Put pats of butter in and swirl pan until butter melts and adds a silky texture to the sauce.  Add a lil chopped parsley for some color and your done.  Pour sauce over fish and tell me you love me! hahahaha

*NOTES:  This can be made with any fish, I have made it will grilled halibut and it is amazing.  The parsley doesn't really add much to flavor so if you do not have it, do not run out and get it, you will be fine.  The initial amount of EVOO will really depend on the size of your pan...Also, for those of you who love butter,  you can add butter to the "sauteing oil" in the beginning, but your fish will get a darker "tinge" to it and in the past I didn't care for the presentation as much.  It does add a bit more richness though, so if you want to butter her up---feel free, it tastes just as yummy