Tilapia Piccata

My niece Liz passed this recipe on to me.  She is the busy mother of Anna (age 3) and Jake (age 5) so dinner has to be quick and easy. Little Anna enjoys this as much as mommy.  Jake is sticking to his dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets.

I included Liz' helpful comments and  tips.

1/4 cup flour                                         1 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. salt                                           2 tbs. lemon juice

1/4 tsp. pepper                                     1 tbs. butter

1 pound tilapia fillets                          1 tbl. chopped parsley

4 tsp. canola oil                                    2 tbl. capers (optional)

1 cup chicken broth 

Combine flour, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl.  Dredge fish in flour mixture, coating well.

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium high.  Add fish and cook until brown, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook another minute. (Liz always cooks the fish a little bit longer on the first side.  She waits until the fish is pretty brown so that it is almost cooked through and then cooks it for only a couple of minutes on the other side.)

Transfer the fish to a warm platter and keep warm (Liz usually tents it with foil until everything is ready).

Increase heat to high, add broth to skillet, and bring to a boil.  Cook until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup (about 3 minutes).  Dissolve cornstarch in 1 tbl. of water and whisk into broth.  Cook another minute, then stir in lemon juice, butter, parsley, and capers (if using).  Spoon sauce over the fish. 

Makes 4 servings

Says Liz "This is one of my favorite dishes.  It's so quick, easy and yummy."