Capers have always been my favorite; however, recently, I have started cooking them like a crazy lover. It honestly doesn’t matter what I am making, Capers just need to be part of it, be it Pasta, Salad, Egg, or even a Toast. These tiny, vinegary, flavorful bites seem to be the perfect finishing ingredient.
What are Capers?
Not many people know about Capers, and they often wonder what to do with them?’ Well, they are green, pea-sized balls that are unripened flower buds. They come from a plant known as Caper Bush (called Capparis Spinosa). The plant goes back to at least 2000 BC. It does not grow in many countries, only native to the Mediterranean, Middle East, and North Africa, mainly due to the semi-arid or arid climate. They grow in different sizes from ranging from 7mm to 14mm+. Before the bush starts to blossom, Capers are picked and soaked in brine or salt. They are most common in Italian and Sicilian dishes. In grocery stores, you can usually find them near the Olive or Pickles section.
There is another type of Caper widely known as Caper Berries. These are relatively bigger, approximately the same size as a small Olive. It is a result of bud left intact and allowed to let the flower grow into a fruit. Caper Berries have a similar but stronger taste; however, their texture is more tender and tougher.
What to Do With Capers?
Now that you know what Caper is; you must be thinking, ‘what to do with them?’ You will be happy to know that the options are endless! Use them in your salad dressings or pesto, roll them into your pasta or scrambled eggs, toss them in your soup or spread them onto your Avocado Toast.
Salads
To add more flavors and a beautiful texture to your salad, add a handful of these little delights into your leafy, green salad, your tuna salad, or even your grain bowl. They give the perfect, salty, and tangy flavor to the salad, and can also be used in salad dressings, a perfect alternative to Anchovies in Caesar Salad.
Soups
Creamy soups are delicious and dreamy; they have a great flavor of their own; however, if you add a couple of capers to your soup, yummy! It just adds the perfect amount of tanginess and saltiness that will have your friends ask for the recipe. They go great with Tomatoes, Onions, or Butternut Squash Soup.
Eggs
Who doesn’t like Eggs? They are basic yet delicious. Top your eggs with these little treats as an alternative to Paprika for a beautiful, flawless, scrumptious finish touch. You can also add them to your Omelette, Scrambled Eggs, or Frittatas.
Salmon
It doesn’t matter how you like your Salmon, be it smoked, lox, or gravlax, you should try your Salmon with a bowl of Capers, sliced Red Onions, and a fresh, oven Bagel. Moreover, they perfectly complement Salmon that has been cooked with lemons and baked in the oven, on the stove, or fried.
Pasta
Capers compliment Tomatoes, so they go well with almost all kinds of red pasta. They just help in enhancing the existing flavors. They work perfectly for both red and white pasts.
How to Store?
If you have brine Capers, keep them submerged in their brine; and they will remain well refrigerated in an airtight container. However, you can store canned/salt-packed Capers at room temperature in an airtight container.