Last Updated on April 21, 2025
Wild-caught Sockeye Salmon Piccata is so luscious and buttery delicious. It combines perfectly cooked sockeye salmon fillets and lemony piccata sauce. This recipe might become your favorite way to prepare salmon.

Preparing The Salmon Fillet
For the quick cooking method that I’m using here, the salmon skin needs to be removed. This is best done with a very sharp, flexible-bladed fillet knife. I have filleted hundreds of fish so this seems easy to me. If you haven’t had much experience skinning a fish, then watch Gordon Ramsay show you how. The secret is using a very sharp knife and holding tight to the skin while the knife does its work. You can also use a piece of paper towel to hold onto the slippery skin.

Frying the Salmon
The first step is to use a large skillet that has a lid and add about a tablespoon of high smoke point oil. Vegetable oil or ghee, (clarified butter), is a good choice for this. Olive oil has too low of a smoking temperature to use. Turn your stove burner to medium-high heat and bring the oil to smoking temperature. This would be 400° to 425°F. Then turn the heat down to maintain this temperature.

Making the Picatta Sauce
Make sure that you have all the ingredients measured and ready to use. This sauce comes together pretty quickly.Ingredients You Will Need
- Oil
- 3 garlic cloves that are slivered
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup of dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons capers that are drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/2 teaspoon of each kosher salt and pepper
- 4 tablespoons of butter cut into 1 tablespoon pats
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley





FAQs
Can I use another variety of salmon?You can use any type of salmon but the thickness of the fillets could be larger. You would need to cook the salmon for a longer time. Use an instant-read thermometer to make sure that the fish is 120° to 125°F.
What does Piccata Style mean?
In Italian piccata means larded. Piccata style means cooked in a sauce of butter, lemon, and parsley.
What should I serve with sockeye salmon piccata?
Roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes, angel hair pasta, lemon spiced rice, or buttered noodles would all be good with the piccata.
What could I use besides white wine for piccata?
Either vegetable or chicken broth would be flavorful. Just make sure to use low-sodium broth.

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Seared Sockeye Salmon Piccata Recipe
Perfectly seared wild-caught sockeye salmon with a luscious, buttery piccata sauce.
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Servings: 3 servings
Calories: 483kcal
Ingredients
- 1 sockeye salmon fillet, 1 to 1 1/2 pounds
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil or ghee, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, slivered
- 1 tsp. all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dry white wine, sauvignon blanc or chardonnay
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp. capers, drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp. lemon zest
- 4 tbsp. butter in 1 tbsp. patties
- 2 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
- 1/2 tsp. (ea.) kosher salt and black pepper, plus more for the salmon fillets
Instructions
- Remove the skin from the salmon fillet, and then cut the fish into individual portions of about 6 ounces each. Pat the flesh side of the fish dry with paper towels and then sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Use a large skillet with a lid and add 1 tablespoon of oil and heat on medium-high heat until the oil just starts to smoke. Turn the heat down to maintain a temperature around 400°F.
- Place the fillets flesh side down into the hot skillet and place the lid on the skillet. Fry the fish for 2 1/2 minutes then remove the fillets to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. The internal temperature should be 120° to 125°F.
- Using the same skillet on medium heat, add 2 or 3 more teaspoons of oil and add the garlic. Cook the garlic until it becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds. Then stir in 2 teaspoons of all-purpose flour and cook for 1 minute to remove the raw flour flavor.
- Next, add the wine and water and whisk to dissolve the flour into the liquid. Then add the capers, lemon juice and zest, and, the salt and pepper. Bring this to a low boil and cook for 4 or 5 minutes to thicken.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the butter pats to melt. Then, add the chopped parsley. Serve the piccata sauce on the fish fillets.
Notes
- You may use a different variety of salmon and if it is thicker than 3/4 inch, it will need to cook longer. Up to 5 minutes for a 1 1/2" thick fillet. It is best to use an instant-read thermometer to check the internal temperature. With salmon, it is best to undercook than to overcook.
- The piccata sauce would be perfect to use with any firm fish or chicken fillets.
Nutrition
Calories: 483kcal
Joe
This salmon is cooked perfectly and the piccata sauce compliments it so perfectly.