Pan-Fried Plaice with Brown Butter & Capers

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Speicherstadt

📍 Where this dish comes from: Hamburg · Speicherstadt
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Pan-Fried Plaice with Brown Butter & Capers, plated and ready to serve

Hamburg’s celebrated fish market has traded in North Sea plaice for centuries, and the city’s traditional preparation — simply fried in butter with capers and parsley — remains definitive for a reason: the Hamburg Fischmarkt in a single breathtaking dish. The plaice’s sweet, delicate white flesh needs nothing more than a screaming-hot pan, good butter, and a confident hand. The brown butter sauce, nutty and complex, is what elevates this from weeknight to memorable.

What You’ll Need

Ingredients for Pan-Fried Plaice with Brown Butter & Capers

Pan-Fried Plaice with Brown Butter & Capers

Delicate North Sea plaice fillets, golden-fried to perfection and showered with nutty brown butter, piquant capers, and fresh parsley.
Print Recipe
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: German
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 340kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 plaice fillets (or sole/flounder)
  • 100 g unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp capers drained and roughly chopped
  • 4 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 4 tbsp almond flour (for dusting)
  • Salt and white pepper
  • Lemon wedges to serve

Instructions

  • Season plaice. Dust lightly with almond flour, shake off excess.
  • Heat half the butter in a wide pan over medium-high until foaming. Fry fish 2–3 min per side.
  • Remove fish to warm plates.
  • Add remaining butter to pan. Cook over medium heat until it turns golden-brown and smells nutty.
  • Add capers and parsley — it will sizzle. Add lemon juice. Pour over fish immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 340kcal | Protein: 32g | Fat: 23g | Fiber: 1g
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Cooking Pan-Fried Plaice with Brown Butter & Capers in the kitchen

Health Benefits

  • Plaice provides high-quality protein with iodine, important for thyroid hormone production.
  • Butter’s Maillard browning compounds are studied for their potential antioxidant properties.
  • Capers contain quercetin and rutin, flavonoids studied for their potential role in capillary and vascular health.

Pairs Well With

  • Roasted White Asparagus with Prosciutto
  • Radish & Cucumber Salat with Dill Vinaigrette
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