What A Caper

Capers are a versatile ingredient and a great one to have on standby in your cupboard. Their pungent flavour adds a salty zing to any dish, similar to that of olives, pickled gherkins and anchovies. They are the perfect addition to salad dressings and mayonnaise-based sauces. Even a simple baked or pan-fried fish dish can be transformed with the help of a squeeze of lemon and spoonful of capers.

Capers are the unopened flower buds of the caper bush (capparis spinosa) and are typically preserved in a briny vinegar and jarred or canned to preserve their flavour. Their size ranges from 5mm to 12mm  depending on the variety, the smaller capers being more delicate in flavour and texture. 

Grown in the Mediterranean region (Italy, Spain, Morocco and Greece), they are harvested from May to September and available year-round on our supermarket and deli shelves.

If you come across their close relation caper berries in your local speciality store, these are preserved in the same way but larger (similar size of a green olive) and usually sold attached to their stalks. These berries develop after the caper flowers have bloomed, have a milder flavour & crunchier texture to capers and are often used as a cocktail garnish or charcuterie board component.

Capers are more commonly used in cooking as an ideal accompaniment to seafood, chicken, pasta and salads, although their sharp flavour isn’t for everyone's palate.

Chicken Piccata is a favourite recipe of PEPHER. (Donal Skehan)