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.

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 from Appetito

Sour Cherries are Going to Trend in 2025

A food prediction for 2025 is a trend towards sour cherries with Amarena Cherries from Emilia-Romagna leading the way.

January 13, 2025

The All-Day Dining Trend at Italian Eateries in New York City

Here are three of the latest Italian-inspired cafés-turned-restaurants to hit the New York City food scene.

January 13, 2025

Spaghetti with Breadcrumbs and Olives is Perfect “Cucina Povera”

The Italian tradition of resourceful cooking, cucina povera, is exemplified by this southern Italian spaghetti staple.

January 9, 2025

10 Italian Food and Drink Trends to Watch for in 2025

Italian cuisine’s foothold on American food culture keeps growing. These are the questions we’ll be looking to answer in the year ahead.

January 8, 2025
See all posts