Light Seafood Piccata with Pasta

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.

Yield: 4

Light Seafood Piccata with Pasta

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This light seafood piccata is a slimmed down version of the traditional favorite but still has all the great flavor

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound mixed seafood. (I used a shrimp, squid, clams and baby scallops mix.)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces of your favorite pasta
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1/4 cup chopped garlic
• 3 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and chopped
• 2 teaspoon butter
• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. 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.
2. Season the seafood well with the sea salt and black pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and add the seafood, stirring often until cooked, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
4. Combine the wine, vegetable broth and cornstarch in a small bowl until it is silky and smooth.
5. Cook the garlic in the skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, until softened, 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Add the wine mixture; bring to a boil and cook until it has thickened, about 2 minutes.
7. Stir in lemon juice, capers and butter; cook until the butter melts, 1 to 2 minutes.
8. 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.
9. Stir in the fresh parsley, garnish with chopped parsley, and serve immediately.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1/4th of the recipe
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 381Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 132mgSodium: 1048mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 37g

Nutritional information is approximate due to natural variation in ingredients and the cook-at-home nature of our meals.

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