Capers

[Fugu]

I used to make burger patties with capers inside.

We garnished seafood tartare with fried capers. Adds that crunch texture.

[prasantrin]

I used to make burger patties with capers inside.

We garnished seafood tartare with fried capers. Adds that crunch texture.

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Were the capers mixed with the ground beef when thee patties were made, or were they stuffed in the middle? I just bought some ground beef, so this would be a perfect start!

[Fugu]

Just throw it in burger mix whole, as much as you want without making it the dominant flavor. It is supposed to be a surprise flavour packet when you bite into one.

[Domestic Goddess]

I too, would add my vote to puttanesca. I always have olives, capers and anchovies in my larder for those times that I need to make puttanesca.

I also toss whole capers into my tuna salad. It adds that delightful zing in every bite.

[Lilija]

Arroz con pollo, tuna salad, chicken picata, nibbled right out of the jar for a smack-in-the-mouth salt fix...

[TheSwede]

A traditional Swedish dish is Beef a la Lindstrom: Burger patties with capers and diced pickled beetroots. Serve with some fried onions, boiled (or mashed) potatoes and brown sauce or gravy.

[Bridgestone]

Biff Lindström - great idea, TheSwede!

Here's one recipe.

The ingredients (left to right, top to bottom): a couple tablespoons of capers (chopped), two anchovies (chopped), three egg yolks, a tablespoon of HP sauce (perhaps A-1 steak sauce or even a few drops of Worchestershire sauce would work?), three tablespoons pickled beets (chopped), a few tablespoons ground pork, about a pound of ground beef, an onion (chopped), a cooked potato (chopped) and a tablespoon dijon mustard.

Start by mixing everything up.

Of this mixture, make four large patties.

I suggest serving this dish with pan-fried potatoes. So, after making your patties, peel as many potatoes as four people will eat and cut into uniform pieces. Fry in plenty of oil (I used a combination of canola and home-rendered lard as all of my duck fat is currently preserving a batch of confit) at a moderate heat until golden.

Here's the potates as well as a few patties (one adult, two kiddie) frying:

Serve with a vegetable of choice and with a fried egg on top.

[budrichard]

"But my favorite dish of all is a bagel with cream cheese, smoked salmon (nova), red onion and capers"

Do they serve that in Downtown Manhattan? -Dick

[pups224]

One of my favorite German main courses: Konigsberger Klopse (Veal balls in sour cream and caper sauce).

These are amazing with buttered egg noodles.

A reasonable rendition is in Claiborne and Franey's "Veal Cookery".

[Vicious Wadd]

A few people mentioned puttanesca. Take that same concept and apply the underlying ingredients -- including capers -- to other dishes: e.g. over grilled chicken, in stews, etc. One great dish I copied from Red Eye in NYC is a tagine-baked sea bass with olives, roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, and yes, capers. It's fantastic.

Another great match with capers is smoked salmon. Fan out the salmon on a platter, scatter the capers on top and add a squeeze of lemon. Those piquant little bursts help punch through the richness of the salmon.

Lastly, to reduce the briny/salty taste, many recipes will call for a little rinse under cold water. I tend to do this most of the time I use capers, especially if there are other salty ingredients in the dish.

[prasantrin]

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That looks a heck of a lot better than the one I made!

I made two burgers--one with about 1/2 T of capers stuffed in the middle, and the other with about 1/2 T of capers mixed into the ground beef (each burger was 100g of meat). I couldn't taste the capers in either burger! Very sad, I was. I may have over-rinsed the capers (I didn't put salt in the burger, so some salt from the brine would have been helpful), and I definitely over-cooked the burgers a little. Perhaps those two things combined lessened the flavour of my capers?

I also did an olive oil, lemon juice, and caper dressing for roasted cauliflower. It was good, but I like it better with butter (what doesn't butter make better?).

Next project should be puttanesca, but I've only got canned olives.

[Bridgestone]

Not too sure, either, prasantrin... It may not be too apparent in the pictures above but I normally try to keep at least some of the capers whole or in large pieces. This way you'll get a bite every now or then with a caper kick. I can see how finely diced capers would disappear easily in a ground beef mixture. I used non-rinsed, brined capers.

Better luck next time!

Edited June 3, 2008 by Bridgestone (log)

[Leah Kinsella]

Try fried capers on a Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict!!! Texture is amazing!

[ruthcooks]

That smoked salmon-red onion-caper-lemon-cream cheese on a bagel is a favorite of mine, too.

Also, a pasta salad I made up: fusilli or rotini, tuna, capers, mayo, lemon juice and thawed tiny peas. It's rather tangy, and the peas add a contrasting sweetness. Lots of people have requested this recipe.

Here's a tip from Camille Glenn, cookbook author: drain the juice off a jar of capers and replace with vinegar of your choice. A fresher taste.

(Once I ordered the salt cured ones and couldn't bear to use them. They look like dried up bugs to me.)

[Reconstructing Dinner]

Vitello Tonnato -- If you're ever in Piedmont, Italy, you won't be able to get away from it. Thin veal roast with a tuna, caper aoli. Very tasty.

As mentioned above, good with pasta. I just saute anchovies, garlic and capers together in good olive oil. Maybe add some parsley at the end.

I've been meaning to try a tapanade of the same ingredients (not the pasta, of course) for sandwiches or something. Maybe I'd use white anchovies for that.

[Jakea222]

capers and caper berries - what? They are the same thing

Picatta Sauce - sweat some onions, garlic and then add capers. Add chicken stock and reduce - add lemon juice the real stuff or fake then some lemon zest and thicken with a corn starch or roux and then put it over browned chicken and top it with fried capers - yeah baby!

Done this for a pasta special and a banquet! good and easy!

[prasantrin]

I've come to the conclusion that my caper capers aren't working out too well because my current jar of capers sucks. I've been trying to use them up in a lemon caper dressing (just lemon juice, olive oil, and capers) which I've been using on salmon. I think that's why my hamburger with capers (which were whole, and there were a lot of them in the burger) tasted like a plain hamburger.

As soon as I get back from holidays, I'm getting a new jar of capers. I'm going to try the salted ones next!

I know there must be hundreds of brands of capers out there, but does anyone have a brand they particularly enjoy? The brand I liked was Mas Portell from Spain, but I can't remember the brand of my current jar which I don't like.

[Fugu]

I use capers in brine and I have no particular brand name preference. I don't rinse the capers at all. If you're not tasting the capers, try the caper berries . The berries are are so huge that you will have a hard time not tasting that thing in a burger, so that is another option. I'll have to try capers that are cured in salt, just some today.

There also the classic grenobloise for trout and other fried fish.

[MRE]

Capers are a staple in my house. I use them in all sorts of dishes; including sauces, pasta salads, tuna salad, compound cream cheese spreads, egg salad along with the more common lemon caper for for fish and piccatas.

My favorite way to use them is in a quick pasta sauce made with canned tuna, onions, garlic, parsley, white pepper, mashed anchovies, capers, and dry white wine. I slightly caramelize the onions, garlic and tuna in olive oil, and then add in the other ingredients. Toss the sauce with angel hair and it's a done deal. No more than 15 minutes start to finish.

[jayejo]

I use them in salads a lot. One of my favorites is tomato, feta, and capers with drizzled with a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil, topped with a sprinkling of crushed red pepper.

A fritata with smoked salmon, goat cheese and capers is wonderful too.

[laddx005]

I like them with Italian meat dishes. I think they also go well with dishes that call for sun dried tomatoes.

Try them in pasta with bacon, orange zest, chicken, garlic, olive oil, herbs, etc, etc.

[Amarantha]

I like 'em inna club sandwich We practically lived off those whilst our kitchen was being renovated and we only had a toaster and microwave for cooking. Ingredients varied, but usually included such things as chilli jam, relish, mustard, pastrami, ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, beetroot and gherkins. Besides the capers, of course. Using three slices of bread per sandwich, the outer two toasted. Damn, now I'm craving one. It's been a while...

[Henry dV]

prasantrin - Why not try a different twist on capers and make your own, but using Nasturtium buds, I have just salted some for 4 hrs and then rinsed off and put in a jar of cider vinegar. It has turned the vinegar a pale pink as the flowers were yellow with an orange heart.

The smell is wonderful and much like Capers but the taste has a peppery punch

[liuzhou]

I was a latecomer to the caper party, I'd occasionally met them on top of pizzas as I recall, but had never used them myself until about five years ago when I found a supply here. I could only find them in vinegar, but soon started using them. Mainly with fish and in tartar sauce.

 

Time and again, I read that the salted variety are better, but until today couldn't find a source (they are unknown in Chinese cuisine). Are they really that much better than the vinegar preserved variety?

 

The ones I have found are only available in 1kg packs. Enough to last me till the grave. I take it that, being salted, they'll see me out. Right? They are Italian and labelled as "Salted Mezzanella Capers grade13", or "Lilliput Salted Capers grade7" whatever that means. Going by price, the lower number seems superior. 7 is double the price of 13, but still affordable if worth it..

 

And what do you do with them?
 

Edited February 4, 2017 by liuzhou (log)

[jmacnaughtan]

I generally use them as a seasoning.  I've never used the salted ones either, and I enjoy the sharp tang of those in vinegar.

 

If I'm doing a slow-cooked meat dish, I sometimes combine chopped capers, chopped Greek-style black olives and lemon zest and stir it through the sauce at the last minute.