Eggplant caponata recipe is sweet, sour, and rich - the perfect summer appetizer or snack. Serve it on top of bruschetta, crostini, or with some burrata and fresh basil leaves!
This recipe holds an important place in my heart and belly! I ate it for lunch just a few hours before walking down the aisle to marry my husband Jay! My friends and I were getting ready at my mother's place, and she prepared a massive pot of pasta and topped it with my dad's leftover caponata - it was perfection.
Sicilian caponata is one of my all-time favorite eggplant recipes. It comes directly from Sicily, where my father lived during his twenties.
The combination of fried eggplant cubes, fresh basil leaves, tangy green olives, and briny capers makes this Italian dish one of the most appreciated - topped with delicious white wine vinegar and sugar.
'Agrodolce' or sweet and sour is the distinctive quality of eggplant caponata. It is traditionally eaten at room temperature.
Enjoy it as a starter or appetizer, or as a snack spread on top of a slice of bread, this recipe is simple to follow, and bursting with flavor!
💎 Why This Recipe Works
- The recipe comes directly from Catania, Sicily - just like my eggplant parmesan. And while every neighborhood has its version, this traditional eggplant caponata recipe has at least decades of tries, and no fails!
- With step-by-step instructions and simple methods, this vegetarian side dish is easy to prepare for anyone trying!
🛒 Ingredients
- Eggplants [Aubergines]: Many say that larger eggplants have tougher skin, however, once they are salted to remove acidity and fried, I have not had any of these issues.
- Green Olives: For ease, I like to use good quality pitted green olives. The best ones tend to be Italian or Spanish. There is no need to rinse them once out of the jar - the recipe benefits from their tangy notes. Black olives or Kalamata olives are not ideal substitutes for this recipe, as they don't have that tangy and briny note.
- Capers: You can use the ones stored in salt or brine, however, only salty capers need to be rinsed before use.
Be sure to check the recipe card for all the ingredients and steps you need—every detail counts!
♻️ Substitutions and Variations
- White Wine Vinegar: Should you not have it, or prefer a mellower flavor, you can use apple vinegar, as its acidity is less intense. In any case, one of the two options should be used, as this is a key characteristic of this traditional Sicilian dish. Balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar are not good substitutes for this recipe.
- For Frying: I used sunflower oil for frying the cubed eggplant, however, extra virgin olive oil can be used instead - although I find this method a little expensive.
- Tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes can be swapped for tomato sauce, canned plum tomatoes, or chopped canned tomatoes. The result will slightly vary, however, they are all great alternative options.
👩🏻🍳 How to Make (step-by-step)
Mise En Place - Prep
- Toast the pine nuts until golden brown and set them aside. [Picture 1]
- Agrodolce Sauce: Mix the white wine vinegar, white sugar, and tomato paste together, and set it aside. [Picture 2]
- Halve the pitted green olives. Wash and roughly chop the vine tomatoes.
- Wash the eggplants and slice them lengthwise. Layer them in a colander with rock salt, weigh them down, and allow the excess moisture to drain for 30 minutes. Wipe off excess salt with a clean tea towel, then cube the slices, and deep fry them in sunflower oil. Drain them on paper towels to remove the excess oil. [Picture 3]
Cooking The Caponata
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet add sliced onions. Sautee them until they become translucent.
- Add the chopped celery to the saucepan and allow it to cook for 3-4 minutes, until it starts to soften. [Picture 4]
- Next, add the fresh chopped tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, green olives and capers to the saucepan and mix well. Season with salt. Cover with a lid, reduce the flame to low, and cook the sauce for 20-25 minutes, mixing occasionally. [Picture 5]
- The tomatoes will now be soft, and all the ingredients cooked, so you can now add the sweet and sour sauce to the pan [Picture 6].
- Increase the heat to high, and mix the sauce well until the pungent smell of vinegar has gone. [Picture 7]
- Finally, add the fresh basil leaves and fried eggplant to the sauce, and mix well. [Picture 8]
- Allow the eggplant caponata to cool to room temperature before serving - and enjoy!
🙋♀️ People Also Ask [FAQs]
What is eggplant caponata?
Eggplant caponata is a traditional Sicilian dish made with eggplant, tomatoes, onions, celery, olives, capers, and a sweet and sour sauce made of vinegar, tomato paste, and sugar. It is often served as a side dish or appetizer. This dish is not to be confused with peperonata, which doesn't have the sweet and sour flavors and uses bell peppers.
Can I roast the eggplant instead of frying it?
Yes, you can. Follow the same process as described in the recipe card until you dice the eggplant. Once diced, mix it with some olive oil, and bake the eggplant on the middle shelf of the oven until thoroughly cooked. The roasted eggplant cubes can then be set aside, and you can proceed with the recipe as written.
Can I make caponata ahead of time?
Yes, caponata can be prepared up to four days in advance, and it gets better the next day! Store it in the fridge, and serve it cold or at room temperature.
How to store eggplant caponata?
You can store the caponata in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. The caponata can also be frozen for up to three months, however, its consistency will change once defrosted. To serve, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat gently on the stove.
💡 Expert Tips and Tricks
- Agrodolce: If you have never tasted the vinegar and sugar sauce before, start by adding half of it to the recipe and allowing the vinegar to evaporate. You can then taste and decide whether it is strong enough for you, or if you'd like to add the other half too.
- Rest: Allow the caponata to rest before serving. The minimum I'd suggest waiting before serving is one hour from when it reaches room temperature.
- Golden Raisins: In some areas of Sicily they add raisins to their recipe - you can do so too, but keep in mind they are very sweet, so you will need to balance the other ingredients.
- Versatile Dish: Serve eggplant caponata on top of toasted crusty bread, with a fillet of white fish topped with fresh parsley, with grilled meats, with feta cheese with fresh herbs, or mixed with some nice pasta!
🍴 More Delicious Recipes to Try
🍽️ Recipe
Sicilian Eggplant Caponata
Ingredients
- 4 Medium Eggplants [about 2.2lbs or 1kg]
- 2 Medium White or Brown Onions
- 5-6 Celery Sticks
- 2 Large Fresh Ripe Tomatoes
- 180 g Pitted Green Olives
- 50 g Capers
- 50 g Pine Nuts
- 60 g White Wine Vinegar
- 40 g Tomato Paste
- 60 g White Sugar
- 10-15 Fresh Basil Leaves
- 3 tablespoon Olive Oil
- Salt To Taste
- Oil to Fry
Instructions
Mise En Place - Prep
- Add the pine nuts to a large frying pan. Heat it up on medium to high heat and toast them until golden brown [approximately two to three minutes]. Set the pine nuts aside and allow them to cool down.
- In a glass, mix the white wine vinegar, white sugar, and tomato paste together. This is the 'agrodolce sauce' [sweet and sour sauce], which will be added at the end of cooking. Set it aside for later use.
- Halve the pitted green olives. Wash and roughly chop the vine tomatoes.
- Wash the eggplants and cut them length-wise in slices approx ½" thick [1-1.5cm]. Layer the slices in a large colander, with some salt in between each layer. If you have it, opt for rock salt, as it will be easier to remove afterward. Weigh the eggplant slices down using something heavy, like a bowl filled with water or a bottle of olive oil, and allow it to drain for 30 minutes. This process will help remove the excess moisture, which could make the eggplant watery, and remove any bitterness the eggplant may have.
- Once done, remove the excess salt using a clean wet teatowel or cloth. Don't wasj them under running water as eggplant is like a sponge, and it would absorb some water again.
- Finally, cut the slices into cubes, and deep fry them in batches in sunflower oil until they are golden brown [approximately 3-4 minutes per batch]. When removing them from the oil, lay them on some paper towel, so that the excess oil can be removed.
Cooking The Caponata
- Add the olive oil a large skillet or saucepan, and heat it up on medium heat. Once warm, add the thinly sliced onions, and sautee them until they become translucent [2-3 minutes].
- Next, add the chopped celery to the saucepan, and mix well. Allow the celery to cook for 3-4 minutes, until it starts to soften.
- Add the fresh chopped tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, green olives and capers to the saucepan and mix well. Season with salt. Cover the saucepan with a lid, reduce the flame to low, and cook the sauce for 20-25 minutes, mixing occasionally.
- The tomatoes will now be soft, and all the ingredients cooked, so you can now add the sweet and sour sauce to the pan.
- Increase the heat to high, and mix the sauce well until the pungent smell of vinegar has gone.
- Finally, add the fresh basil leaves and fried eggplant to the sauce, and mix well.
- Allow the eggplant caponata to cool to room temperature before serving - and enjoy!
Kym Dugg says
This is so very good. Very easy too. I make this recipe over and over. It is a crowd pleaser.
Elle says
Thank you, Kym! ?