Fried Beef Sweetbreads with Lemon Caper Sauce

Incorporate more nutritious organ meat into your diet with this delightfully tangy recipe. Try serving this with a side of a fresh green salad, or piccata style over spaghetti.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. Beef Sweetbreads, cleaned and trimmed
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup of buttermilk
• 1 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Vegetable oil for frying

For the sauce:

• 1/2 cup of salted butter
• 3 tablespoons capers, drained
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley leaves, chopped (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Soak the cleaned and trimmed sweetbreads in buttermilk for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours to tenderize them.
2. Shortly before preparing the sweetbreads, make the sauce.
3. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.
4. Stir in capers, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Allow the mixture to simmer for 2-3 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.
5. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust the lemon juice or zest if needed.
6. Remove from heat and set aside.
7. In a shallow dish, combine the flour, salt, pepper, and paprika.
8. In a skillet, add enough vegetable oil to cover half of the sweetbreads while cooking. Heat on medium-high heat.
9. Remove the sweetbreads from the buttermilk and allow excess buttermilk to drip off.
10. Dredge each sweetbread in the flour mixture, ensuring an even coating.
11. When the oil is shimmering, and a drop of water causes the oil to splutter, cook the dredged sweetbreads in batches, ensuring that the skillet is not crowded.
12. Fry the sweetbreads until golden brown on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side.
13. Once cooked, transfer the sweetbreads to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.
14. Arrange the fried sweetbreads on serving plates. Drizzle the lemon caper sauce generously over the sweetbreads, and garnish with fresh parsley. Serve immediately.