Skip to Content
Recipes

How to Make Grouper Picatta

Our contributor from South Carolina shares her recipe for grouper, a versatile and delicious fish from the Atlantic.

10:00 AM EDT on April 22, 2024

Grouper Picatta.

Grouper Picatta.

Living in South Carolina, I have access to the freshest seafood. The warm and deep Atlantic waters are abundant with a variety of delicious fish. There is nothing better than asking the local fishmonger what just came in from the boats. 

I love fresh fish, and grouper is my absolute favorite. It’s light yet firm and doesn’t have a strong taste, which makes it incredibly versatile.

Some popular ways to prepare grouper include: grilled, sauteed, crusted in pecans (so Southern!), blackened, smoked, and fried (of course!).

Grouper also compliments other flavors, so it can be served over pasta or rice, in tacos or chowders, with roasted vegetables or potatoes.

I love it served Picatta-style as the lemon and white wine sauce, enhanced by briny capers and the sweetness of sauteed shallots (with a little zest of Dijon), really optimizes the flavor and compliments the texture of this delicious fish.

Note: Us Southerners gobble up most of the grouper available, so be sure to keep an eye out for the quantity we allow to be shipped from our shores. If you see it at your market, do not pause! Buy all you can as it can be frozen. As an alternative, you can also use trigger, tile, snapper, cod, black sea bass, or really any mild white fish in this recipe, though it does work best, as does every preparation, with grouper.

Grouper Picatta

Grouper Picatta

Recipe by Low Country Bella
0.0 from 0 votes
Servings

2

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

10

minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 5 oz. 2 grouper fillets

  • 1/3 cup 1/3 chicken broth

  • 1 tsp. 1 butter

  • 2 tbsp. 2 capers

  • 1 tsp. 1 Dijon mustard

  • juice from 1/2 lemon

  • 2 tbsp. 2 olive oil

  • 1 tbsp. 1 minced shallot

Directions

  • Dry fish fillets with a paper towel.
  • Heat olive oil in a wide pan.
  • Cook the fish fillets over medium heat until the fish has turned opaque, approximately 2-3 minutes on each side.
  • Transfer fish to a plate.  
  • Add shallots, capers, lemon juice, mustard, and butter to the pan.
  • Cook for 60 seconds, whisking constantly.
  • Whisk in chicken broth and stir until the sauce is smooth and has reduced slightly, approximately 2-3 minutes (add more broth if it gets too thick).  
  • Return fish to pan and coat fish with sauce while also warming it up. 
  • Plate fish and pour additional sauce from the pan over the fish.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @appetitomagazine on Instagram and hashtag it with #italianfoodanddrink

Like this recipe?

Follow @Appetitomagazine on Pinterest

Follow us on Facebook!

Follow us on Facebook

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More Stories

Campari Hosting Campari Spritz Square in Nolita this Weekend

Reservations have been available on a rolling basis and a limited number of walk-in spots are also available.

August 13, 2026

Lolita’s Gelato: Italian Gelato in Santorini, Greece

A tiny gelateria in Oia became much more than a place to stop for something sweet.

August 13, 2026

Borgo Santo Pietro and the Rise of Luxury Borgos in Italy

Italy’s historic villages are giving travelers a new way to experience the country.

August 13, 2026

Nonna’s Zuppa dell’Orto: Italian Summer Vegetable Soup

Inspired by the way Nonna cooked, this comforting summer soup celebrates the beauty of simple, seasonal cooking.

August 13, 2026

How to Make Danielle Caminiti’s Savory Pesto French Toast

Fresh from her appearance on Food Network's "100 Cooks," Danielle Caminiti shares her recipe for a savory French toast boosted by pesto.

August 13, 2026

The Only Dish I Know How to Cook: Pasta Frittata

One summer outside Bologna turned leftover spaghetti into the one dish she never forgot how to make.

August 12, 2026