Chef Dimitra
Aegean Taramosalata (Ταραμοσαλάτα)
Pale Aegean taramosalata is cured roe, soaked bread, lemon, and olive oil worked slowly until it turns thick and clean, made for lagana on Clean Monday.
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Sifnos Kaparosalata (Καπαροσαλάτα Σίφνου)
Created by
On Sifnos, dried capers are stewed with onion, wine, vinegar, and olive oil until sharp, sweet, and spoonable, a Cycladic meze with no need for decoration.
Appetizers & Snacks
Greek
Picnic
Outdoor Dining
Make Ahead
20 min
Active Time
45 min cook•1 hr 5 min total
Yield6 servings as a meze
Sifnos kaparosalata is not the pale caper dip you may meet on other islands. This one is darker, sharper, almost a little stifado: dried capers stewed with onion, vinegar, wine, tomato, and olive oil until they become a rough, sweet-sour spread for bread. The region is the dish's surname, and here the caper is not a garnish. It is the whole point.
The soaking decides everything. Dried salted capers are precious, but they are also fierce. You soak and change the water until the salt loosens its grip, then let the onion carry them into softness. Do that, and the finished kaparosalata tastes briny, bright, and deep. Skip it, and no amount of good oil will save the pot.
I don't invent it. I find it, I test it, I write it down. This is the sort of Sifnos meze that makes sense beside chickpea stew from the wood oven, grilled bread, or boiled potatoes during the fasting weeks. Nistisimo, sturdy, and better after a few hours, which is how picnic food should behave.
Kaparosalata belongs to the dry Cycladic islands where caper bushes grow from stone walls and terraces, especially Sifnos, Santorini, Tinos, and Syros. On Sifnos, the older preserved capers were dried and salted, then rescued by soaking and slow cooking with onion, a method closer to a small vegetable stifado than to a raw salad. The dish also fits the Orthodox fasting table, where oil, vinegar, wild plants, and stored island foods supplied flavor when meat and dairy were absent.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
dried salted capers
Quantity
120g
soaked and rinsed
yellow onions
Quantity
2 large, about 350g
thinly sliced
extra virgin Greek olive oil
Quantity
90ml
tomato paste
Quantity
1 tablespoon
dry white wine
Quantity
120ml
red wine vinegar
Quantity
60ml
honey or petimezi (grape molasses)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
bay leaf
Quantity
1
small dried chilli (optional)
Quantity
1
water
Quantity
120ml
plus more for soaking
freshly ground black pepper
Quantity
to taste
flat-leaf parsley (optional)
Quantity
2 tablespoons
chopped
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| dried salted caperssoaked and rinsed | 120g |
| yellow onionsthinly sliced | 2 large, about 350g |
| extra virgin Greek olive oil | 90ml |
| tomato paste | 1 tablespoon |
| dry white wine | 120ml |
| red wine vinegar | 60ml |
| honey or petimezi (grape molasses) | 1 teaspoon |
| bay leaf | 1 |
| small dried chilli (optional) | 1 |
| waterplus more for soaking | 120ml |
| freshly ground black pepper | to taste |
| flat-leaf parsley (optional)chopped | 2 tablespoons |
Equipment Needed
- •small heavy saucepan, 20cm
- •fine sieve
- •glass storage jar, 500ml
Instructions
- 1
Soak the capers
Put the dried salted capers in a bowl and cover them with plenty of cold water. Soak for 12 to 24 hours, changing the water 3 or 4 times, until they taste salty but no longer harsh. Drain them well. This is the step that decides the dish: if the salt isn't pulled out first, the onion can turn sweet and soft and the pot will still taste like the bottom of a brine barrel.
Taste one caper before cooking. It should still have its bite, but it shouldn't make you reach for water. - 2
Soften the onions
Warm the olive oil in a small heavy pan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions and cook for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until they collapse and turn glossy but not brown. Keep the heat patient. Browned onion pulls the dish toward sweetness before the capers have had their say.
- 3
Build the base
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, just until it darkens a little in the oil. Add the drained capers, wine, vinegar, honey or petimezi, bay leaf, chilli if using, and 120ml water. Grind in black pepper, but don't add salt yet. The capers carry enough.
- 4
Stew slowly
Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring often near the end, until the onions are jammy and the liquid has reduced to a spoonable, glossy sauce. It should sit on bread like a rough relish, not run off it. If it dries before the capers soften, add a splash of water and keep going.
- 5
Rest and serve
Pull out the bay leaf and let the kaparosalata cool to room temperature. Taste only after it rests for 20 minutes, because vinegar speaks too loudly when hot. Finish with parsley if you like and a thin thread of olive oil. Serve with barley rusks, country bread, boiled potatoes, or a glass of ouzo.
Chef Tips
- •Use dried salted capers if you can find them. Brined capers make a quicker spread, but they don't give the same dark, chewy depth. If using brined capers, rinse them well, skip the long soak, and reduce the added vinegar by half.
- •Don't rush the onions. They should soften into the oil before the wine and vinegar go in, or they stay sharp in a raw, mean way. Good olive oil, and patience.
- •This keeps well in the refrigerator for 5 days. Bring it to room temperature before serving, because cold oil dulls the flavor and makes the capers taste flatter.
Advance Preparation
- •Soak the dried salted capers 12 to 24 hours ahead, changing the water several times.
- •Make the kaparosalata up to 2 days ahead. The vinegar settles, the onion deepens, and the dish becomes better behaved on bread.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 100g)
Calories
165 calories
Total Fat
14 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
12 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
560 mg
Total Carbohydrates
9 g
Dietary Fiber
2 g
Sugars
4 g
Protein
1 g
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