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    Home » Recipes » Italian

    Updated: Oct 24, 2022 by Marc · 22 Comments

    Caponata

    Caponata is a delicious Sicilian eggplant salad with creamy caramelized eggplant, crisp celery and a savory sweet and sour flavor from the tomatoes and vinegar. Served as an antipasto with bread, or as a relish for fish and meat dishes, Caponata is an appetite inducing condiment that makes just about anything taste better.
    Recipe Pin

    Making the best eggplant Caponata isn't hard, but it does involve a few simple tricks. See how I do it.

    Despite what some recipes may have you believe, Caponata is not a stew. It's more like a salad or relish, with an agrodolce(lit. sour-sweet) taste, and a variety of textures and flavors that keeps your mouth waiting in eager anticipation for the next bite.

    To help retain each ingredient's individuality, I like to cook each one separately. The pine nuts get roasted in oil to bring out their rich earthy flavor. The eggplant gets fried until golden brown on the outside and creamy on the inside. The onions are slowly fried until sweet and caramelized, and then the celery, olives and capers are added towards the end, to preserve their unique textures and flavors.

    Tomatoes are another component of Caponata that tastes best when caramelized to coax out their umami. The thing is, you can save yourself a bunch of time by starting with tomato paste. Since it's already reduced, all you need to do is add it in and saute it a bit to make it sing with flavor. A bit of brown sugar and wine vinegar thrown into the pan at the end, brings the individual components together while allowing each item to retain their own unique taste and texture.

    A simple Sicilian Caponata that comes togehter in under 30 minutes.

    While the care involved in treating each ingredient separately may sound like a chore, my Caponata is made in a single pan, so it's more about logistics than labor. To that end, I've developed my recipe to make the best use of time and oil, which is why you can put this together in under 30 minutes.

    That being said, Caponata is one of those dishes that definitely tastes better the next day, which is why I recommend you let it rest overnight before serving it. It does keep for about a week though, so if you can resist the urge to eat it all in one go, it's a great make-ahead dish for parties. Some other ideas include using it as a topping for grilled fish, serving it with poached eggs and toast for breakfast, or sliding it in between two crusty halves of bread with some arugula for a satisfying plant-based lunch.

    Caponata is a mouth-watering Sicilian relish that's the perfect make-ahead canape for a party.

    📖 Recipe

    A simple Sicilian Caponata that comes togehter in under 30 minutes.

    Caponata

    4.75 from 12 votes
    Print Pin Discuss
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 25 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Yield 8 small servings

    Units

    Ingredients 

    • ½ cup olive oil
    • 380 grams eggplant (*see note, cut into 1-inch pieces)
    • 40 grams pine nuts (~¼ cup)
    • 140 grams red onion (~½ onion, ½-inch dice)
    • 120 grams celery (~2 stalks, ¼-inch dice)
    • 70 grams pitted green olives (~½ cup, sliced in half)
    • 30 grams capers in brine (~2 tablespoons, drained)
    • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
    • 50 grams raisins (~¼ cup packed)
    • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
    • salt
    • ground black pepper
    • flat-leaf parsley (chopped for garnish)

    Instructions

    • Add the olive oil to a pan and heat until hot, but not smoking.
    • Add the pine nuts and fry until golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the toasted pine nuts to a paper towel lined rack.
      Oil roasting the pinenuts for the Caponata first is not only foolproof, it saves time.
    • Add the eggplant and fry, turning over several times until golden brown and tender. Transfer the eggplant to the paper towel lined rack.
      Shallow frying the eggplant for the Caponata in olive oil ensures they're both flavorful and tender.
    • Add the onions, and saute until they are tender and starting to brown.
      Caramelizing the onions gives our Caponata a sweet burst of umami.
    • Add the celery, olives, and capers and saute until the celery starts turning translucent, but still crunchy.
      Adding the celery, olives, and capers to the Caponata towards the end, ensures they retain their individual taste and texture.
    • Add the tomato paste and fry until shiny and fragrant.
      Caramelizing the tomato paste brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes in this Caponata.
    • Finish the Caponata by adding the raisins, red wine vinegar and brown sugar. Return the eggplant and pine nuts to the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste and continue to cook until the liquid has all evaporated.
      The best eggplant Caponata, with creamy eggplant, crisp celery, sweet raisins and briny olives, all in a sweet and sour tomato sauce.
    • Let the Caponata cool and then refrigerate overnight. Serve the Caponata at room temperature, sprinkled with fresh chopped parsley and crusty bread.
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    Notes

    For the eggplant, I prefer using small eggplants such as Italian, Graffiti, or Japanese because they tend to have fewer seeds than your average Globe eggplant. Look for them in upscale grocery stores or at a farmers market.

    Nutrition

    Calories 105kcalCarbohydrates 12gProtein 1gFat 5gSodium 6162mgPotassium 164mgFiber 2gSugar 8gVitamin A 230IUVitamin C 2.5mgCalcium 18mgIron 0.9mg

    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. No One says

      May 30, 2019 at 12:34 am

      Where is your original eggplant caponata recipe from a year or two ago and why did you replace it with this one?
      We bookmarked the original and made it multiple times (family favorite that I guess I should have saved off instead of bookmarking). Now the original link for it (https://norecipes.com/eggplant-caponata) redirects here to a different version. I'm sure the new one is nice, but it is NOT the original and is not what we want. Sadly, now I have to hunt for something else instead of using our 'tried and true' recipe. Not cool.

      Reply
      • Marc Matsumoto says

        May 30, 2019 at 10:03 am

        Part of our mission is to make the best possible version of a dish. Many of the dishes on here have been in development for months if not years before we feel they're good enough to publish. But just because a recipe has made the cut doesn't mean it can't be improved upon. This is why I republish newer versions of recipes that have been improved over the years. In this case the original recipe was published in 2009, and the revised recipe was published at the beginning of 2017. I have the original archived and would be happy to send it to you, but it appears you've left a fake email address. If you'd like to leave a real email address I'd be happy to send you the original recipe.

        Reply
        • Lorraine says

          September 10, 2019 at 4:05 am

          I agree with you Marc and have never found fault with any of your recipes. “NO ONE” should be aggravated with himself for not saving it properly.

          Reply
        • Peggy J Raab says

          August 07, 2020 at 12:53 am

          I would like the original recipe

          Reply
    2. Christine Britcher says

      July 07, 2019 at 8:21 pm

      Can I freeze caponata, and can it be served as a side veg with main course

      Reply
      • Marc Matsumoto says

        July 07, 2019 at 11:58 pm

        Hi Christine, it should freeze okay, but it might be a little intensely flavored to use for a side (salty, sour and sweet). Caponata is more like a condiment for putting on bread, eating with meat, or to eat as an antipasto.

        Reply
    3. Rebecca says

      April 13, 2020 at 11:22 pm

      Just a big shout out for all your recipes as well as your ongoing upbeat attitude especially now. Love that you're provding options for things with longevity. Arigato!!!!!!

      Reply
      • Marc Matsumoto says

        April 14, 2020 at 11:02 am

        Hi Rebecca, thanks for taking the time to drop a note, it made my morning just a little bit better😀 I hope you're staying safe and healthy!

        Reply
    4. Grace says

      June 04, 2020 at 2:42 am

      Not enough liquid in this recipe..I followedinstructionsbut had to keep adding water so that eggplant would cook to a soft texture. ...

      Reply
      • Marc Matsumoto says

        June 04, 2020 at 9:05 am

        Hi Grace, I'm sorry if it wasn't clear, but the eggplant needs to be cooked through all the way when you fry it. All you're doing in step 7 is glazing the ingredients in the sauce which is why there isn't very much liquid.

        Reply
      • Goldie says

        August 10, 2022 at 3:41 pm

        Great recipe. Very versatile. I added roasted baby potatoes to the roasted eggplant. I caramelized the onion and red pepper which i used in the recipe, along with the cherry tomatoes from my garden. I used balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar, maple syrup instead of sugar, and kalamata olives instead of green ones. The tomato paste was a great idea. I can’t wait to try it next time with pine nuts and raisins. It was delicious. A real bouquet of flavours.

        Reply
        • Marc Matsumoto says

          August 10, 2022 at 11:52 pm

          I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it! Great idea subbing balsamic vinegar as it will add the sweetness the raisins would have. Thanks for taking the time to let me know how it went!

          Reply
    5. Marilyn says

      April 01, 2021 at 8:34 am

      This is my favorite caponata recipe...shared this with others and they love it too...never put raisins in....where is your other caponata recipe?

      Reply
      • Marc Matsumoto says

        April 01, 2021 at 9:33 am

        Thanks Marilyn, I'm glad to hear you've been enjoying this. This recipe replaced my older one (which I made before I'd tasted a proper caponata).

        Reply
    6. Laurence Lovell says

      February 28, 2022 at 10:23 pm

      Hi Marc, we lived on Malta for several years, and one of our favourite treats was to take a freshly made caponata with fried mackerel, crusty bread, and a bottle of Pinot down to the beach. My wife sadly died a few years ago, and not knowing the recipe found your site and caponata recipe. The only thing l do different is to add some chunky red and green peppers that l fry after the aubergine. Thanks so much!
      Laurence Lovell

      Reply
      • Marc Matsumoto says

        March 01, 2022 at 10:18 am

        Hi Laurence, I'm sorry to hear about the loss of your wife. I'm glad this was able to help you relive some memories of your time in Malta. Thank you for taking the time to share!

        Reply
        • Katsuya Fukushima says

          July 04, 2022 at 6:20 am

          Hello M. Love your website. Can yiu send your original recipe for caponata. Love to try the original as well. Thankyou.

          Reply
          • Marc Matsumoto says

            July 04, 2022 at 9:44 am

            Thanks Katsuya, I've sent it over by email.

            Reply
    7. Lucinda says

      October 24, 2022 at 8:35 am

      Hi beautiful antipasto. I lived in Sicily and this is a nostalgic dish.
      My one comment is that it took greater than 25 minutes to cook. Its either that or I’m really slipping. I used a “Chinese” egg plant since that’s all they had. In order to brown it took longer.
      I needed to double the recipe.
      Thank you for this enriching experience.

      Reply
      • Marc Matsumoto says

        October 24, 2022 at 9:53 am

        Hi Lucinda, I'm glad to hear this was able to bring back some memories for you! The cook time, doesn't include prep time, so including prep this should take about 35 minutes. If you doubled the recipe it's going to take a little longer to prep, and the cook time will go up as well since the extra food will cause the temperature of the pan to drop faster.

        Reply
    8. Bas says

      May 14, 2023 at 2:30 am

      Beautiful, great with posh fish cakes. I always peel the aubergine and salt it in a colander, then rinse and dry before cooking. Not sure why but it tastes good.

      Reply
      • Marc says

        May 15, 2023 at 11:45 am

        That sounds great, and such a good idea serving it with fishcakes!

        Reply

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