Salmon Piccata with Rice and Honey Buttered Carrots
Pan-seared salmon fillets in a lemon-caper piccata sauce, served with honey buttered carrots over a bed of rice.
This Salmon Piccata with Rice and Honey Buttered Carrots is a flavorful, refined dish featuring two 6-ounce salmon fillets, pan-seared until crispy and topped with a zesty lemon, caper, and garlic piccata sauce. Fluffy white rice cooked in chicken broth serves as a perfect base to soak up the sauce, while tender baby carrots are glazed in a sweet honey-butter mix, balancing the meal with a touch of sweetness. Together, these elements create a harmonious blend of zesty, savory, and sweet flavors for a comforting yet elegant meal.
Servings
2
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Total Time
50 minutes
Ingredients
For the Salmon
2 salmon fillets (about 6 oz each)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (for dusting)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
For the Piccata Sauce
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup capers, drained
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and pepper to taste
For the Rice
1 cup long-grain white rice
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
For the Honey Buttered Carrots
1 cup of baby carrots
2 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons honey
Instructions
Cook the Rice
Rinse rice until water runs clear. In a saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil with salt and olive oil. Stir in rice, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer 18–20 minutes until tender. Fluff with a fork and keep covered until ready to serve.
Prepare the Carrots
Boil baby carrots in salted water for 5 minutes, until just tender. Drain. In the same pot, melt butter and stir in honey. Simmer briefly until slightly thickened, then toss carrots to coat.
Cook the Salmon
Pat salmon dry and season with salt and pepper. Lightly dust both sides with flour. In a skillet, heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Place salmon flesh-side down, cover, and sear 4 minutes. Flip to skin-side down and cook 4 minutes more. Flip once more, remove skin, and set salmon aside.
Make the Piccata Sauce
In the same skillet, sauté garlic for 1 minute. Add lemon juice and chicken broth; bring to a simmer. Stir in capers, then whisk in butter and half the parsley until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Finish and Serve
Return salmon to the skillet and spoon sauce over to reheat. Serve salmon over the rice, with honey-glazed carrots on the side. Garnish with remaining parsley.
Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear. In a saucepan, bring water to a boil and stir in 2 teaspoons of Better than Bullion base. Add the rice, olive oil, and salt. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 18-20 minutes until the rice is cooked and the liquid is absorbed. Fluff the rice with a fork and keep it covered until serving.
Bring a small pot of water to a boil and add the carrots. Boil about 5 minutes until slightly tender. Drain the carrots and set aside. In the same pot, add the butter to melt and then stir in the honey. Simmer a few minutes to coat the sauce until slightly thickened and remove from heat.
Juice a fresh lemon to make ¼ cup of juice. Mince 2 cloves of garlic. Drain the capers. Prepare the chicken broth, butter, salt, and pepper.
Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper and lightly dust with flour.
Heat olive oil and butter in a skillet.
Place the salmon flesh side down and let cook about 4 minutes over medium heat and covered.
Flip the filets skin side down and continue to cook about 4 more minutes. Flip again and easily remove the skin. Remove the salmon from the skillet and set aside.
In the same skillet, cook minced garlic for 1 minute.
Add lemon juice and broth, and bring to a simmer. Add capers.
Add the butter to whisk in until melted.
Stir in half the parsley.
Return the salmon to the skillet, spoon sauce over to reheat.
Serve the salmon over a bed of rice, with the buttered carrots alongside. Garnish with remaining parsley.
