Veal Escalopes (in Lemon Sauce)

close up of many pieces of golden brown veal served with lemon wedges.

4.84 from 6 votes

Veal Escalopes (in Lemon Sauce)

Incredibly tender veal escalopes served with lemon sauce. This classic Italian dish - Scallopine al Limone – is simple and delicious, and it's made with only four ingredients.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Course: Beef, Pork and Lamb

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Calories: 421kcal

Author: Adina

Ingredients

8 small veal escalopes about 3 oz/ 85 g each
2 lemons divided (Note 1)
6 tablespoons olive oil divided
2 teaspoons unsalted butter ice-cold
fine sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
3 sprigs of parsley

Instructions

Pound meat: Place the veal escalopes between two pieces of cling film on a cutting board. Pound them carefully to make them thinner, about 0.2 inch/ 5 mm. Season lightly with salt and pepper on both sides. Place in a non-metallic container.
Marinade: Wash and zest the organic lemon. Juice it as well. Whisk 4 tablespoons olive oil and the lemon juice in a small bowl, stir in the lemon zest. Pour over the scallops. Marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes and up to 1 hour (Notes 2,3).
Cook: Heat a large cast-iron pan or nonstick pan. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Remove the meat from the marinade (reserve marinade), shake them to remove the excess.
Fry them for 2 minutes per side. If the pan is not large enough, fry the meat in 2 batches (Note 4). Remove from the pan and keep warm.
Lemon sauce: Pour the reserved marinade back into the pan. Add the juice of the second lemon. Let bubble well for 1 minute. Gradually, stir in the cubed ice-cold butter.
Finish: Adjust the taste with salt and pepper. Return the escalopes to the pan and warm for 1 minute. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and a dash of freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

Notes

At least one of them should be organic and unwashed, as you will need its zest.
Don’t marinate the meat for more than 1 hour; the lemon juice helps tenderize the meat and adds tons of flavor, but when left for too long, the acidity will break down the proteins, making the meat white around the edges, tough and rubbery.
Never marinade in a metallic container: the acid of the lemons can react with the metal.
It is preferable to cook the veal escalopes in two batches. I have a large pan (12 inches/30 cm), but even that is not large enough to hold them all in one layer. Also, don’t overcrowd the pan, or the meat will steam in its juices rather than being nicely fried.

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