Pan-Roasted Fish With Fried Capers

By Amanda Hesser

Pan-Roasted Fish With Fried Capers
Craig Lee for The New York Times
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(408)
Comments
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Salt-packed capers have become a growing presence in grocery stores. They tend to be larger than capers cured in vinegar and brine, more like the flower buds that they are, and pleasingly vegetal in flavor. When you fry them in olive oil, the oil intensifies their saltiness and turns their outer leaves into a crisp shell, creating delicious crunchy bits that can be used as both seasoning and texture. Here, they stud fillets of pan-roasted striped bass, but you could use any meaty white fish like cod or halibut. It's a bright and flavorful alternative to the usual weeknight fish dish, and it can be on the table in about a half hour.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 2tablespoons salt-packed or brined capers
  • 2tablespoons olive oil, plus more for frying
  • 1clove garlic, crushed
  • 4fillets striped bass, or other meaty white fish like cod or halibut (about 2 pounds)
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1lemon, cut into wedges
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

290 calories; 12 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 41 grams protein; 605 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Soak the salt-packed capers in water for 10 minutes, drain, rinse, then thoroughly pat dry. (If using brined capers, drain them and pat dry.) Pour ½ inch olive oil into a small saucepan and place over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot enough to toast a bread crumb in 30 seconds, add the capers. Be careful, the oil may sputter. Fry until the capers fluff up and begin to brown on the edges, 30 to 60 seconds. Drain the capers on a paper towel.

  2. Step 2

    Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick sauté pan. Place over medium-high heat and add the garlic clove. Season the fish with salt and pepper. When the garlic bubbles on the edges, lay the fish in the pan, skin side down. Sauté until browned on the bottom, 4 to 5 minutes, then put the pan in the oven and roast until the fish is just cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Set a fillet on each of 4 plates. Sprinkle the fried capers over the fillets and serve with wedges of lemon.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
408 user ratings
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Comments

Rich

How can I not smell up my small house when pan frying fish?

Harriet

Cast iron

Alexa H

Made this tonight with perch. Soaked the capers for just a few minutes, then patted dry with paper towel. Used copper saucepan to fry the capers, but left them in the pan with oil and they tasted great when on the fish. Didn't use the oven, just flipped in cast iron pan after 4 minutes. Delicious, especially with the capers and lemon. Plan to make again with a different whitefish. With thicker fish, will probably use the oven.

Jeff

tasty simple weeknight dish

Cannoli

Preparing the capers made a splattering mess on my stove but the fish was simple and sublime. I used sea bass. I would make this again.

DH

Simple and delicious. Made with halibut. Did not deviate from recipe.

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