Tossed in a simple but delicious bright and acidic lemon sauce with capers, this shrimp piccata recipe is the perfect quick and easy weeknight meal.
When I want a quick meal, shrimp is one of the first things that comes to mind - from blackened shrimp to teriyaki shrimp.
But one of my favorite ingredients to add to meals is lemons. Everyone has different tastes. I'm one that loves lemon in savory dishes, where my wife loves lemon in sweet dishes. My go-to meal is a lemon chicken piccata.
So I figured, why not mix it up and substitute the chicken with shrimp. Because shrimp is cooked so quickly, it can be prepared in less than 20 minutes. I mean who doesn't love recipes that take that amount of time and use less than 10 ingredients at that?
So if you have some stock, lemons and capers, you really have the main ingredients necessary to make this simple shrimp piccata.
Ingredient Notes
- Cornstarch - helps get the shrimp slight crispy and thicken the sauce. You can also use flour.
- Shrimp - use wild shrimp and whatever size you like. Just keep in mind the cooking time will vary.
- Stock - I use low-sodium chicken stock as I always have that in my pantry but you can also use seafood or vegetable stock.
- Lemons - freshly squeezed lemon juice has the perfect amount of acidity to balance the fat from the butter and olive oil.
- Capers - adds a briny, vinegary taste to the dish.
Step-by-Step Photos
First toss the shrimp in a bowl with cornstarch, salt and pepper. Then melt 2 tablespoon butter and olive oil over medium-high heat and cook the shrimp for 1-2 minutes per side, or until pink. Remove and set aside.
Add the lemon juice, stock and capers and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits. Stir in the remaining butter then add the shrimp, tossing to coat.
FAQs
Piccata is some type of protein usually dredged in flour, browned, then served in a sauce with lemon juice, butter, and capers.
If you've never peeled and deveined shrimp I suggest watching this video from Epicurious.
When properly cooked, the exterior of the shrimp should be pink with red tails and the flesh is slightly opaque and a little “white” in color. It only takes about 2 minutes per side in a pan to cook shrimp.
You can never go wrong with serving the shrimp over some pasta, but brown butter mashed potatoes, goat cheese risotto or rice works too.
From a vegetable standpoint, I liked roasted broccoli or asparagus. And who can forget some good garlic bread to soak up the sauce.
Shrimp is one of those things that is best right after cooking but you can reheat. You want to reheat over low heat so they don't become rubbery. Reheat in a skillet over low heat with the sauce until warmed through.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Use wild shrimp when possible. It is healthier for you and just tastes better. Frozen shrimp works fine too but just make sure they're thawed before cooking.
- Shrimp cook quickly so cook two minutes per side or until pink and opaque. If you cook too long, shrimp will be tough.
- If you use pre-cooked shrimp, you want to cook just 30 seconds per side so they don't get overcooked.
- While store-bought bottles can be quite convenient, they lack in flavor compared to the real thing. It really isn’t that much extra work to freshly squeeze the lemons and you’ll notice a difference in flavor.
- If you like some heat in the shrimp piccata, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes.
Similar Recipes
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Shrimp Piccata
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 2 lemons, juiced
- ¼ cup brined capers, rinsed
- chopped fresh Italian parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In shallow medium bowl, add cornstarch and mix in salt and pepper. Dredge shrimp in it and shake off any excess
- In large skillet, melt 2 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Add shrimp in an even layer and cook for 2 minutes before flipping and cooking for another 2 minutes. Transfer shrimp to a plate.
- Add the lemon juice, chicken stock and capers to skillet. Bring to boil, scraping up brown bits. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoon butter. Add shrimp, tossing to coat and transfer to a plate. Pour sauce over shrimp and serve immediately.
Notes
- Use wild shrimp when possible. It is healthier for you and just tastes better. Frozen shrimp works fine too but just make sure they're thawed before cooking.
- Shrimp cook quickly so cook two minutes per side or until pink and opaque. If you cook too long, shrimp will be tough.
- If you use pre-cooked shrimp, you want to cook just 30 seconds per side so they don't get overcooked.
- While store-bought bottles can be quite convenient, they lack in flavor compared to the real thing. It really isn’t that much extra work to freshly squeeze the lemons and you’ll notice a difference in flavor.
- If you like some heat, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes.
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