what are your favorite ways to use capers? or their brine? what's a good way to use up a jar that's been sitting in my fridge?

Caroline Lange
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26 Comments

Spikeygrrl November 2, 2015
Alas, Mr. Spikey does not like capers, so I use them only a couple of times per year in chicken piccata (he separates them out to the edge of his plate). But when he's deployed I'm free to use them whenever I want to! One of my most eccentric uses is as a wood-grilled pizza topping ... along with anchovies, bacon, and coarsely chopped raw garlic -- yes, as a topping!, a nasty habit I picked up while living in New Jersey. I also use them in fish dishes, soups, stews, stuffings, pasta, and casseroles.
 
Exbruxelles November 4, 2015
"A nasty i habit I picked up in New Jersey" would be a great title for your novel.
 
cookbookchick October 31, 2015
I make a delicious tuna salad that has capers and sautéed mushrooms in it. The recipe comes from a meal I had decades ago, prepared and served to us by our lovely hostess in her home in Basel, Switzerland. Along with the tuna salad, she served big, crusty, slightly blackened rolls, the likes of which were nowhere to be found in the U.S. in those days.
 
Uncle J. October 31, 2015
Oooh that sounds good! Would you please share the recipe?
Thanks.
 
cookbookchick November 2, 2015
I will when I get a chance, Uncle Jess.
 
Kristen W. October 31, 2015
Here's another one that uses a good amount of capers (Actually I add more capers than the recipe calls for):
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2014/06/pasta-and-fried-zucchini-salad/

Also you can roll them in cornstarch, fry to crispy and add to pasta dishes, yum.
 
Jr0717 October 31, 2015
It may sound bizarre, but if you enjoy the briny, salty taste of the caper brine, consider sprinkling it on your popcorn!
 
louisez October 30, 2015
Serve capers alongside chopped onions and tomatoes with smoked salmon and thinly sliced baguettes with cream cheese
 
Bevi October 30, 2015
I like to use capers in savory puff pastries, salad dressings, sometimes caponata, sometimes grain salads.
 
Uncle J. October 30, 2015
Next time you chose a recipe where you add salt, consider adding capers instead. You get the benefits of salt, plus a complex bitter flavor as well. They bond particularly well with citrus, tomato, fish, eggplant, pasta, and many other things. One of my faves is pasta with sauteed onion,tomato, tuna and lots of capers. Practically makes itself and takes very little time.
 
Maedl October 30, 2015
I don’t think you need to use up capers because they are preserved and keep for a very long time. However, it you just want to get the jar out of the refrigerator, there are many French and Italian recipes for beef stew that call for hefty amounts of capers.
 
ChefJune October 30, 2015
In adddition to the list Inpats gave, I also like to toss them into salads to add a bit of that unexpected "tart." As for them tasting of vinegar, it's easy to rinse them is cool running water and then dry, or even better, rinse them in milk. They taste like their old selves again.
 
Exbruxelles October 30, 2015
Yes: Tuna salad, deviled eggs. And especially chicken piccata: https://food52.com/recipes/28571-chicken-piccata
 
Saffron3 October 30, 2015
I cook for someone that loves capers, and never thought of using them on a salad!! Da! Great suggestions all around. Thanks for asking that question..
 
dinner A. October 30, 2015
also, Zuni's broccoli-cauliflower pasta, recapped here: http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2007/07/how_to_make_bro.html
The recipe suggests you sauté the broccoli and cauliflower, but I roast it in a hot oven on a big sheet pan instead, so I can make more of the vegetables (I increase the seasonings as well).
 
AntoniaJames November 2, 2015
dinner at ten, that looks like a real winner. Thank you for posting the link! ;o)
P.S. I love your idea of roasting on a sheet pan. I look forward to trying this within the next week or so.
 
dinner A. November 2, 2015
Hope you enjoy it, AntoniaJames! It's one of my favorite simple fall/winter dinners. I forgot to note, I also always add a generous squeeze of lemon after the broccoli & cauliflower are done cooking, to balance all those salty, pungent flavors with some acidity.
 
AntoniaJames November 2, 2015
dinner at ten, adding lemon juice sounds like such a good idea. Thank you for the tip! We're always on the lookout for simple fall/winter dinners. This one certainly looks like a keeper. ;o)
 
dinner A. October 30, 2015
This lemon-caper dressing: https://food52.com/recipes/16940-april-bloomfield-s-lemon-caper-dressing
Favorite ways of mine to use it are on Boston/butter lettuce with avocado, on torn or slivered radicchio with sunflower seeds.
 
QueenSashy October 30, 2015
I like to make a lamb stew with fennel, capers, white wine and mustard. It's to die for.
 

Voted the Best Reply!

AntoniaJames October 30, 2015
Sub for or in addition to olives in parsley sauce, which I put on just about everything (seriously): https://food52.com/recipes/35467-pretty-versatile-parsley-sauce
In omelets.
In lemon vinaigrette with fresh thyme that's been finely chopped; let this one rest for a few hours, at least.
On pizza.
Finely chopped in deviled eggs.
In my riff on the classic "tonnato" sauce, which I slather on sliced turkey sandwiches after Thanksgiving https://food52.com/recipes/30916-turkey-tonnato-sandwich (Note that caper brine is a critical ingredient here.)
In potato salad: https://food52.com/recipes/4763-fingerling-potatoes-remoulade
Coarsely chopped In salmon salad with a lot of finely chopped parsley (and use a few tablespoons of the caper brine to loosen the salad up)
Mixed with butter + cream cheese with a few mashed anchovies, for a caraway and paprika free Liptauer (what I call "Anchovy Cheese"): https://food52.com/recipes/8098-anchovy-cheese
Goodness, I could go on and on. ;o)
.
 
Susan W. October 30, 2015
Two of the best Caesar salads I've had were in Vancouver, Canada. They both used capers instead of anchovies. I love anchovies in my Caesars, but it really was a nice change. A different kind of salty brightness. My favorite was made with salt packed capers, but the vinegar brined version was really good too.
 
HalfPint October 30, 2015
I like to add it to traditional chicken salad (with mayo). It provides a bit of brightness and cuts the richness of the mayo.
 
inpatskitchen October 30, 2015
Tartar sauce, remoulade, chicken piccata, muffalettas, pasta puttanesca to name just a few...
 
702551 October 30, 2015
Yes, I find that if one likes capers, it is fairly easy to find opportunities to include them in a wide variety of dishes.

This is basically the same with any given ingredient. If you really enjoy the basic ingredient, it is likely that you will not have to devise methods or concoct ideas to use the item. I buy a bunch of potatoes or onions (both of which I love). I have one left. Do I need to "figure out a way" to use the last one? Nope.

The only time I'm motivated to use something up is if it is at risk of spoiling.

That's simply not the case with things like capers, olives, anchovies, miso paste, etc.
 
702551 October 30, 2015
I prefer the salt-cured capers myself; the ones in brine mostly taste like vinegar.

That said, I tend to use them as an accompaniment/flavor addition to Mediterranean dishes, rather than to put them front and center, much like I treat salt-cured anchovies or olives. I usually end up using a fair amount when I make tapenade.

I've enjoyed deep-fried capers as a garnish to fried fish (sardines, anchovies).

Since they last for a really long time, I have zero motivation to finish them up. No reason to find a way to use them; it'll happen in time. Not a big deal.
 
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