Looking for a complimentary ingredient to take your meals from home-y to gourmet? Capers are tiny, but powerful morsels with a lemony, salty taste. Capers often accommodate dishes like chicken piccata, smoked salmon, and many Mediterranean dishes. Capers are a great addition to dishes because they enhance flavors without adding a lot of calories, fat, or sugar.
- One tablespoon of capers contains 2 calories, less than 1 gram of fat and carbohydrates and sugar
- Capers can help limit the creation of many harmful byproducts that have been linked to cell damage and an increased risk of cancer
- Capers are rich in antioxidants to prevent cell damage, as well as reducing inflammation to protect against heart disease and type 2 diabetes
Recipes:
Simple Lemon Caper Sauce (thespruceeats.com)
- 2 teaspoons Capers, drained
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 1 small clove Garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed Lemon Juice
- 1-2 teaspoons finely chopped Parsley
- Kosher Salt to taste
Gather the ingredients.
Melt the butter in a small skillet or sauté pan over low heat.
Add the garlic, lemon zest and juice, and the capers. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking over low heat for about 30 seconds.
Add the chopped fresh parsley and salt to taste. Stir and remove from the heat.
Drizzle the warm sauce over cooked shrimp, fish, potatoes, chicken, or turkey and serve immediately. Enjoy.
Chicken Piccata (recipetineats.com)
- 16 ounces Chicken Breast
- 4 tablespoons Flour
- 2 1/2 tablespoon Parmesan
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
- 2 1/2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
Lemon Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 2/3 cup Dry White Wine
- 2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 3 tablespoons Capers in Brine
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Parsley
Crispy Parmesan Chicken:
Cut each breast into 3 pieces. Then place between 2 pieces of cling wrap or paper and pound to 1/2 cm / 0.2″ thickness.
Drizzle chicken with 1/2 tbsp olive oil and spread with your fingers on both sides.
Mix flour, parmesan, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Coat chicken, pressing to adhere, then shaking off excess.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Then add butter and let it melt.
Place 3 pieces of chicken in the skillet. Cook 3 – 4 minutes until golden, then turn and cook the other side for 1 minute. Remove onto plate, repeat with remaining chicken.
Chicken Piccata Sauce:
Pour out and discard excess fat in skillet, then give it a quick wipe with paper towels (no need to clean thoroughly).
Still on medium high heat, add wine. Let it simmer rapidly until it reduces by half – around 3 minutes.
Add lemon and simmer 1 minute.
Reduce heat to low. Add cubed butter and swirl pan to make it melt but not go foamy. Sauce should be glossy, translucent and slightly thickened.
Stir in capers and parsley. Serve chicken with Sauce, sprinkled with extra parsley if desired!
Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower and Crispy Capers (foodandwine.com)
- 8 ounces dried Rigatoni
- 1 medium head Cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 3/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground Black Pepper
- 1/3 cup Olive Oil
- 3 tablespoons Capers, rinsed
- 3 Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced
- 4 Anchovy Fillets, roughly chopped
- Pinch of Crushed Red Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Zest
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf Parsley
- 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
Preheat oven to 450°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until package directions for al dente, about 10 minutes; drain and reserve about 1 cup cooking water.
Toss cauliflower with salt, black pepper, and half of oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Arrange cauliflower in a single layer; roast in preheated oven until deeply golden brown, about 25 minutes, tossing halfway through to ensure even browning.
When cauliflower is about 5 minutes from being done, heat remaining olive oil in a deep 12-inch skillet over medium-high. Add capers, and cook, spooning hot oil over capers, until crispy, about 3 minutes. Remove capers with a slotted spoon, and set aside on a plate lined with paper towels. Reduce heat to medium; add garlic, anchovies, and red pepper. Cook until garlic is pale golden and anchovies have melted into oil, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add pasta, roasted cauliflower, lemon zest, 1/4 cup parsley, and 1/2 cup cooking water to skillet; toss to coat until glossy. Remove from heat, and add 2 tablespoons cheese. Tossing pasta constantly, add additional cooking water as needed for sauce to reach desired consistency.Top pasta with crispy capers, remaining 2 tablespoons cheese, and remaining 1/4 cup parsley. Divide evenly among bowls, and top with additional cheese.
