Pan Sautéed Fish Filets with Lemon-Wine Sauce

This is soooo delicious!  I like to use Haddock filets cut into palm size pieces.  The thickest filets, usually ½" thick or more, should cook for about 4 minutes on each side; the thinner ones about 2 minutes per side.  Feel free to substitute filets of flounder, sole or tilapia as well.  The sauce makes enough for about 8 filets.

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.  Place a platter to hold the cooked fish in the oven to warm.

Beat the eggs with the water and place in a bowl large enough to hold a filet.  Combine the flour, salt and peppers in a one gallon plastic bag.  Have ready a plate to hold the floured filets.

Place a filet in the egg wash, coating completely.  Drain excess egg, place filet in baggie and shake until coated, remove to plate.  After all filets have been floured they may be kept in the fridge up to a half hour before cooking.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the oil and butter in a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium high heat.  When the butter stops foaming lay the filets in the pan and cook on one side (4 minutes for thick filets and 2 minutes for thin ones) without moving them (cook in two batches so as not to cool the pan excessively.)  Turn and cook for the remaining time or until the fish is no longer translucent and flakes to the fork.  Remove filets to the warmed platter and return to the oven.  Repeat with remaining filets, adding some additional oil if necessary.

When all filets are in the oven  reduce heat to medium and add the wine to the pan.  Deglaze scraping all the bits from the bottom of the pan.  Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 1-2 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.  Add the stock and raise temperature to medium high and boil to reduce for 5 minutes.  Add the lemon juice and capers and reduce an additional 3-4 minutes (there should be about 1¼ cups of sauce in the pan.)

Add the corn starch slurry a little at a time until the sauce is of the desired thickness.  This is purely a personal decision as it doesn't have to be thickened at all.  You can also thicken by melting butter into the sauce at this point.  Remove the filets from the oven, ladle some of the sauce over the top and serve immediately.