Lemon Sauce with Capers

An easy and flavorful 10 minute lemon caper sauce with butter or olive oil that makes a terrific sauce drizzled over white fish, shrimp, salmon, vegetables, chicken, and pasta.

Lemon Caper Sauce

Dinner is easy when you start with a protein like fish, shellfish, chicken breast, or pork chops. Take it up a notch by pairing it with a delicious and easy sauce you an drizzle over the top or serve on the side.

Our quick and easy lemon caper sauce is low carb, keto friendly, and gluten free. This sauce will remind you of chicken piccata flavors but made even easier!

Serve the lemon sauce with capers with pasta, serve over the top of chicken breast or blackened cod, and don't forget the air fryer broccolini on the side. 

Key ingredients

• fresh lemon juice - the recipe uses about 1 whole lemon. Do not use lemon concentrate.
• lemon zest - wash and dry the lemon first before testing it, be sure to zest before you squeeze the lemons.
• tablespoons capers- they come in a jar with liquid like a brine from the grocery store, while kalamata olives are often considered the best caper substitute, it would be difficult to make a swap for capers in a sauce with such a prominent capers flavor. Green olives can be used as a caper substitute in a pinch but it will totally change the flavor of the dish.
• garlic cloves, minced - we love to use Trader Joe's frozen garlic cubes, fresh garlic or minced garlic in a jar will also work
• salt and ground black pepper
• fresh flat leaf parsley- cilantro also works really well as would standard parsley
• tablespoon butter, salted- if you use unsalted butter you might need to increase the salt a tiny bit

** Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact quantities **

Variations

• Make a creamy lemon butter caper sauce by reducing the tablespoons of butter by half and stirring in a little heavy whipping cream.
• For serving the lemon sauce with capers over pasta we usually swap the butter for olive oil. 
• Add white wine to an elegant touch, just a basic bottle works well, there's no need to use expensive wine.

Step by Step Instructions

1. Rinse the capers to remove the briny salt
2. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium low heat.
3. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, minced garlic, salt, and pepper.
4. Saute for 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant.
5. Stir in the chopped fresh parsley and remove from the heat.

Pour sauce and serve immediately with seafood, chicken, pasta, or vegetables before the butter hardens. You can even use it as a seafood boil dipping sauce. Enjoy!

Extra helpful tips

• if you're serving the sauce with zoodles, palmini pasta, or pasta, swap the butter for olive oil so that the fats keep their liquid consistency.
• It's essential to use fresh lemon juice and not concentrate. The sauce will have the best possible taste using fresh citrus.
• You can also cook a protein like chicken breast over medium-high heat in a large skillet, scrape up the browned bits, and add the sauce ingredients to the hot pan for a quick dinner idea or even for a dinner party.

FAQs

What are capers?...actually

Capers are the flower bud of a bush native to the Mediterranean. These little flowers look like tiny pine cones and taste very tangy, salty, and acidic. They make a great sauce or can be used in many dishes from pasta to salads.

What do capers taste like?

Capers have a tangy, slightly salty, acidic taste. They are especially appetizing when paired with fish, lemon juice, or herbs.

We hope you LOVE this lemon caper sauce recipe!

More low carb sauces

• pesto sauce
• alfredo sauce
• lemon aioli
• cheddar cheese sauce
• healthy tzatziki sauce

Recipe

Lemon Sauce with Capers

Jenni Cole

An easy and flavorful lemon caper sauce with butter or olive oil that makes a terrific sauce for white fish, shrimp, salmon, vegetables, chicken, and pasta! The sauce is low carb, gluten-free, and keto friendly.

4.84 from 6 votes

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Prep Time 7 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 minute min

Total Time 8 minutes mins

Course Sauces & Seasonings

Cuisine American

Servings 4 servings

Calories 105 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoon capers
• 1 garlic clove minced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ cup fresh parlsey chopped
• 4 tablespoon butter salted

Instructions

 

• Rinse the capers in cold water.
• In a small skillet on medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, capers, minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook for 1 minute until the garlic is fragrant.
• Stir in the chopped fresh parsley and take it off of the heat.
• Serve immediately with seafood, chicken, pasta, or vegetables before the butter hardens. Enjoy!

Notes

If the lemon caper sauce is a tiny too lemony for your liking, feel free to add a touch more butter or olive oil, adjust the salt and pepper as needed. However, a tiny bit of sauce goes a long way!

To serve lemon caper sauce with pasta, swap the butter for olive oil since butter hardens as it cools whereas olive oil does not.

Cilantro makes a great variation to flat-leaf parsley.

The sauce can be made dairy-free by using olive oil instead of butter, or you can use a vegan margarine spread.

It's essential to use fresh lemon juice and not concentrate. The sauce will have the best possible taste with using fresh citrus.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 105kcalCarbohydrates: 1gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 382mg

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