Veal Scallopini with Lemon and Capers Recipe
Fork tender bites of flour dusted veal cutlets coated with buttery lemon sauce and sprinkled with capers. Veal scallopini is a delicious way to enjoy your favorite classic Italian restaurant meal!
How to Make the Best Veal Scallopini with Lemon and Capers
Veal scallopini is one of those elegant Italian restaurant dishes that seems fancy but is surprisingly quick and easy to make at home. Tender, delicate veal cutlets are dusted lightly with flour and seared until golden in a buttery pan, then finished with a bright lemon and wine sauce studded with briny capers.
The key to perfect veal scallopini is pounding the cutlets thin—this ensures they cook through quickly while staying incredibly tender. The lemon-butter sauce comes together in just minutes right in the same pan, picking up all those wonderful browned bits from the veal. The capers add a delightful pop of saltiness that perfectly complements the creamy, tangy sauce.
This dish comes together in about 25 minutes from start to finish, making it perfect for a weeknight dinner that feels special. Serve it over pasta, rice, or with crusty bread to soak up every drop of that delicious sauce. It’s restaurant-quality cooking without the restaurant price tag or long wait.
Veal Scallopini with Lemon and Capers
Fork tender bites of flour dusted veal cutlets coated with buttery lemon sauce and sprinkled with capers. Veal scallopini is a delicious way to enjoy your favorite classic Italian restaurant meal!
Ingredients
Veal and Dredging
For Cooking
Lemon Caper Sauce
Instructions
Prepare the Veal
- Pat the veal dry with paper towels.
- Pound with a meat mallet or rolling pin to ¼-inch to ⅛-inch thickness.
- Once the veal is prepped, season with salt and pepper.
Dredge in Flour
- Spread the flour on a large flat surface, like a dinner plate or a shallow storage container.
- Place each veal cutlet in the flour, pressing lightly into the flour on each side.
- Once the entire cutlet is coated in flour, lightly shake off excess, and place on a clean plate or cutting board.
Cook the Veal
- In a large skillet, heat the canola oil and unsalted butter over medium heat.
- Cook the veal in batches—place as many veal cutlets as will fit in the pan in a single layer without crowding.
- Cook until golden brown on each side, about 1½ minutes per side.
- Place the cooked cutlets on a clean plate and repeat until all the cutlets are cooked.
Make the Lemon Caper Sauce
- Reduce the heat to medium low and add white wine to the pan. Lightly scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula to incorporate any drippings. Cook for about 1 minute to reduce the wine and cook off the alcohol.
- Stir in lemon juice and white pepper and cook for about 1 minute.
- Add salted butter to the pan and stir continuously until melted and incorporated.
- Add capers to the sauce and season with salt to taste.
Serve
- Return the veal cutlets to the pan and coat with the sauce.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- For tips on prepping veal cutlets, ensure they are pounded evenly to ¼-inch to ⅛-inch thickness for uniform cooking.
- Depending on the size of your pan, you may need additional oil and butter when cooking the veal in batches.