Chunky, tangy and salty, this easy caper sauce brings a bright, delicious finish to fish, shrimp and chicken. Ready in minutes, it elevates simple grilled, baked or pan-fried seafood into a restaurant-style dish.
Oi, Gente!!
This easy caper sauce is similar to a piccata but uses lime instead of lemon. Lime adds extra zing and a brighter sour note, while butter and salty capers balance the acidity for a pleasant tart finish. Lime zest contributes floral, citrusy aroma that lifts the whole sauce.
Serve this caper sauce over salmon, sea bass, tilapia or other fish, and it’s equally good on shrimp or chicken. It’s quick, versatile, and a great way to upgrade a simple protein.
Beijinhos xx
What you need to make this recipe:
remember!
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Substitutions can greatly alter your final results.
- Onion — yellow or white, diced.
- Brazilian sofrito — or 3 cloves garlic, minced.
- Butter — unsalted preferred so you can control seasoning; if using salted butter, taste before adding salt because capers are salty.
- Capers — the star: salty, briny and acidic; roughly minced.
- White wine — a dry white like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio; chardonnay will be rounder if you prefer that.
- Fresh thyme — fresh sprigs infuse flavor quickly; avoid dried thyme in this fast sauce.
- Fresh parsley — flat-leaf parsley adds bright, grassy notes.
- Lime — zest first, then juice.
How to make Caper Sauce
Sauté the aromatics. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 2–3 minutes.
Add the Brazilian sofrito (or minced garlic) and sauté 1–2 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden.
Pour in the white wine and add the thyme sprigs. Simmer gently until most of the wine has evaporated and the thyme has infused the liquid. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs.
Add the minced capers, lime juice and the remaining butter. Stir gently until the butter melts and the sauce comes together. Taste and season with freshly cracked pepper and a light pinch of salt, if needed—remember capers are already salty.
Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped parsley and lime zest. Use the residual heat to release the bright herb and citrus oils without cooking them, which preserves fresh flavor.
Pro tip!
Add lime zest and parsley off the heat. Cooking them can mute their freshness or make the zest bitter; residual heat is enough to release their aromatic oils.
Spoon a generous portion of the buttery, tangy sauce over baked, grilled or pan-seared fish. It’s delicious on pan-seared salmon but pairs well with tilapia, sea bass, cod, halibut and more. It also complements shrimp and chicken.
How to store:
Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1–2 days. Reheat gently in 20–30 second bursts in the microwave or warm briefly in a small pan until just heated through.
What to serve alongside this sauce:
Serve the sauce with your favorite fish and pair it with sides that soak up the sauce, such as brown rice, carrot rice or walnut rice. Mashed yuca or garlic mashed potatoes are excellent alternatives. For greens, try broccolini or baked asparagus with Parmesan.
Other Sauces and Dressings to Try:
- Lime Butter Sauce for Fish
- Passion Fruit Sauce
- Spinach Almond Pesto
- Mango Salad Dressing
- Creamy Avocado Lime Dressing
- Cilantro Chimichurri
Other Fish Recipes you’ll love:
- Baked Lime Salmon
- Salmon Chimichurri
- Tuna Dip (Pastinha de Atum)
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Buttery Caper Sauce
Aline Shaw
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons Brazilian sofrito (or 3 cloves garlic, minced)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons capers, roughly minced
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon parsley, minced
- 1 teaspoon lime zest (from 1 lime)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, freshly squeezed
- Salt and pepper to taste
Equipment
- Skillet
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Instructions
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small pan over medium heat.
- Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 2–3 minutes.
- Add the Brazilian sofrito (or garlic) and sauté 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Pour in the wine and add the thyme. Simmer until the wine has mostly cooked out.
- Remove and discard the thyme. Add the capers, lime juice and remaining butter. Stir until the butter melts.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Turn off the heat and stir in parsley and lime zest.
- Serve over fish, shrimp or your favorite protein.
Bom Apetite!!
Nutrition
Calories: 1445 kcal
Carbohydrates: 36 g
Protein: 7 g
Fat: 137 g
Saturated Fat: 87 g
Sodium: 1371 mg
Potassium: 637 mg
Let me know how it was!