Eggplant caponata

Eggplant caponata is a famous Sicilian dish usually served as a starter or a side dish.

In essence, caponata is an eggplant (aubergine) salad or a quick eggplant stew that you can eat warm or cold at room temperature.

Traditionally, it’s made with deep-fried eggplant, but here we show you how to make it with roasted eggplant or air-fried eggplant to make the recipe easier, lighter, and healthier.

The eggplants are coated in a rich sauce made with tomatoes, celery, onion, olives, capers, and a touch of vinegar and sugar to give it its distinctive sweet and sour taste.

There are close to 40 different variations of eggplant caponata recipes in Italy; today, we’ll show you how to make the most classic and simple version we learned in Palermo, Sicily.

Eggplants

Eggplants (aubergines in the UK) are the main ingredient of caponata. Italian eggplant or globe American eggplants are best. They are large eggplants with black-purplish skin and round shapes.

Substitute zebra eggplants or any other eggplant variety.

Tomatoes

We recommend using fresh ripe tomatoes if in season. Try vine tomatoes, plum tomatoes, or roma tomatoes.

Substitute canned tomatoes, tomato puree, or tomato passata. You can add a tablespoon of tomato paste to make a richer sauce.

Olive oil

We recommend extra virgin olive oil.

Substitute avocado oil or another vegetable oil.

Onion

You can use white or yellow onion.

Substitute shallot or red onion.

Celery

A rib or two of celery is an essential ingredient in this recipe.

Olives

Use green pitted olives.

Substitute black pitted olives, Kalamata olives, Gaeta olives, taggiasche olives, or any other olive variety.

Capers

You can use capers in brine or salt. If you use capers in salt, rinse them in water first.

Sugar

White or brown sugar is fine.

Vinegar

White wine vinegar is most common when making eggplant caponata.

Substitute red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar for white wine vinegar.

Salt

We recommend sea salt.

Fresh herbs

Fresh basil leaves add a pleasant aromatic flavor to the caponata.

Substitute fresh parsley for basil. Mint also works but in smaller amounts.

Pine nuts

Pine nuts are often used in Mediterranean cuisine as a garnish or topping and are delicious on caponata.

We recommend toasting them lightly on a pan before sprinkling them on top.

Red pepper flakes

Optional, add only if you like your eggplant caponata a little spicy.

Bake the eggplant

Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes (1.3 cm).

Transfer them onto the baking tray and season with salt, pepper, and olive oil.

Toss, arrange on a single layer, and roast for 30 minutes or until tender and slightly charred. In the meantime, prepare the caponata sauce.

Air fry the eggplant

Cut the eggplant into 1-inch cubes (1.3 cm).

Transfer them to a large mixing bowl, and toss with salt, black pepper, and olive oil.

Transfer diced eggplant into the air fryer basket. As you can see from the picture, the dice CAN overlap.

Air fry at 400°F or 200°C for 12 to 15 minutes, shaking the air fryer basket every 3 to 4 minutes.

Make the caponata sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add chopped onion and celery and fry gently for 5 minutes, stirring often.

In the meantime, chop the tomatoes into small dice, then add them to the pan with olives, capers, salt, and water.

Simmer on medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Now add vinegar and sugar, stir, then taste and adjust until you reach your desired balance of sweet and sour.

Once you are happy with the sweet and sour sauce, add the roasted eggplants and fresh basil leaves.

Finish cooking for about 5 minutes. Then turn the heat off and let it cool for 15 minutes before serving it with a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts.

Eggplant caponata is versatile, and you can serve it as a starter, side dish, or easy dinner.

In Sicily, they often serve it at room temperature to appreciate its flavor to the fullest.

• Starter: serve it on bruschetta, rosemary focaccia, farinata (socca), or flatbread.
• Meal: serve the caponata in a bowl with pasta, rice, couscous, or Italian flatbread. You can add protein with this 15-min fried tofu.

• Taste the sauce: depending on your tastes, you might want your eggplant caponata more sweet or more sour. We recommend adjusting the seasoning before adding the eggplant.
• Let it cool before serving: this is common practice with several eggplant and tomato dishes. They taste better if you let them cool down for at least 15 minutes before serving them. This way, the flavors have time to meld. Ideally, serve caponata at room temperature.
• Make ahead: this is the perfect make-ahead recipe, as it tastes better the next few days.

There are over 35 variations of Sicilian caponata, depending on the local traditions. The most famous is caponata from:

• Palermo: like the one I made above, except that the eggplants are deep-fried in large chunks, they add Sicilian pitted and crushed olives and tomato passata rather than fresh tomatoes.
  
• Agrigento: in addition to the classic recipe, there are raisins, almonds, honey, garlic, and sweet Italian peppers, sometimes called pepperoncini in the USA. They are very similar to Jalapeńo.
  
• Trapani: in addition to the classic recipe are red bell peppers and toasted almonds.
  
• Catania: there is usually more aubergine and tomatoes, with fresh basil and pinenuts.
  
• Messina: use fresh tomatoes instead of tomato passata.

Make ahead: You can make caponata ahead of time as its flavor gets better if you let the recipe cool down and sit in the fridge.

Refrigerator: Keep eggplant caponata in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Freezer: Let it cool down completely, then transfer it to a freezer-friendly container and freeze for up to 3 months.

Thaw in the refrigerator over several hours or in the microwave with the thawing function.

Reheat: warm it in a pan with a dash of water or microwave.

For many more side dish ideas, check out our sides category page.