My husband and I love seafood and often choose it when we eat at our favorite restaurants. But, so many times, the restaurant version is full of heavy cream and lots of butter, which is not so great if one is trying to watch their weight. This light seafood piccata with pasta gives me all the taste of my restaurant version but is so much lower in fat and calories.
This light seafood piccata with pasta is a slimmed down version of one of my favorite restaurant dishes.
I love to make dishes that come together quickly, but are also fancy enough for any special occasion. This light seafood piccata is just such a dish. I serve it when I want to have an at home date night with my husband. We get all dressed up and pretend we are eating out. It is a great way to regroup with him.
Instead of making a cream sauce, which is normally the way restaurants serve this dish, I decided to go for a fresh, light and tangy wine and caper sauce. The combination is perfect for seafood, and since my husband adores capers, it is a perfect choice for us.
Another trick for keeping the calories down is to watch the portion sizes. Most restaurants will put 2 or 3 (or ever more!) servings of pasta for one person. That gives a LOT of extra calories. Check your box for portion sizes. 2 ounces is not a whole plate full of pasta! Instead add a big tossed salad to fill out your plate and compliment the meal. This is a serving for two.
It is easy to make your favorite dishes lighter. Just use a few simple substitutes. For my dish, I have used lemons, white wine, capers, and vegetable broth to make a delicious sauce. The combination of flavors gives my recipe a lovely tangy flavor that is so tasty that we don’t miss the heavy cream sauce at all. Oh, and use a lot of garlic! Nothing adds flavor for almost zero calories as well as garlic does.
The seafood that I used was a mix of shrimp, clams, scallops, and squid. I got it in a big bag of mixed seafood and love the variety of different types.
This light seafood piccata with pasta recipe comes together quickly. Most of the cooking can be done while the pasta is cooking. You can use any long thin pasta. I chose Smart One Spaghetti. It has 2 1/2 times the fiber of normal spaghetti but is not as “nutty” as whole wheat pasta. You can choose angel hair, fettuccine, or whole wheat spaghetti. They all work just fine. 
TIP: Don’t boil the pasta to the al dente stage. The dish will be tough if you do. Since you will be adding it to the seafood and sauce to end the cooking time, drain it a few minutes before it is done and it will be perfect after you combine it in the seafood skillet to finish cooking.
The sauce is rich and tangy, but still has a light feel to it. The white wine add a delicious flavor and pairs perfectly with the capers. I promise, your family will be asking you to make this light seafood piccata again and again.
Finish with a sprinkling of freshly picked parsley. It is so easy to grow. I have mine growing in pots on my patio and just snip it as I need it for recipes. I love the fresh green color that it adds to this dish.
Finish with a tossed salad and enjoy!
For more healthy recipes, visit my Pinterest healthy cooking board.
- 1 pound mixed seafood. (I used a shrimp, squid, clams and baby scallops mix.)
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces of your favorite pasta
- ½ cup white wine
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- ¼ cup chopped garlic
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp capers, rinsed and chopped
- 2 tsp butter
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- Put a large pot of water on to boil. Cook the pasta in the boiling water until not quite tender, about 9 minutes. Drain and rinse.
- Season the seafood well with the sea salt and black pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and add the seafood, stirring often until cooked, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
- Combine the wine, vegetable broth and cornstarch in a small bowl until it is silky and smooth.
- Cook the garlic in the skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the wine mixture; bring to a boil and cook until it has thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, capers and butter; cook until the butter melts, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Return the seafood to the pan, add the pasta and half of the parsley, and cook, stirring gently, until heated through and coated with the sauce, about 1 minute. Stir in the fresh parsley, garnish with chopped parsley, and serve immediately.
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OMG this looks amazing!!! Can you please come over to my house and make it for me? LOL Seriously though, I’m drooling over this recipe!
Jess
You are welcome ANY time!
That looks so good – I agree that they serve way too much pasta! I’m wheat intolerant now, so I have to have quinoa or rice pasta, and when I make it at home it’s surprising how small an amount you need. I’ll be making your sauce though!
It really is all about just thinking how to lighten things up. There are so many ways to do it! Hope you like the sauce!
Next time the fish truck comes to town, you can be sure I’ll try it. I pinned it for later!
I don’t know if you have a BJ’s where you live or not. I bought my seafood mix from them and it was very reasonably priced. (I think it was $11.99 and that is plenty for two meals for 2.
No BJs here. Lots of people go to Costco and get it wholesale (or nearly) but it’s a two hour drive.
Yum! I make a version of this dish often, but I know it has way more calories than yours. Thanks for all the tips on how to lighten up this family favourite.
I try to lighten up all my recipes if I can. It’s a fine line between cutting the calories but keeping the flavor.
This looks amazing Carol! You always have the yummiest looking recipes, so full of flavor.
Thanks Linda. We loved this one.
thanks for sharing this light version of a great dinner recipe
My pleasure Renee. Carol
I made this for dinner lasr night with clams, shrimp, and scallops. The sauce was light and well balanced but for personal preference I plan on adding more capers next time. This recipe will be going in our dinner rotations since its simple to make and full of good flavors.
Thanks Chelsea. Glad you enjoyed it. Carol
New family favorite. Thanks, it was incredible.
Glad you enjoyed it Janet. It’s one of my family’s favorites too. Carol