Caponata
Sicilian sweet-and-sour eggplant
Soft fried eggplant meets celery, olives and capers in a sweet-and-sour tomato dressing, served cool as a Sicilian starter or side.
A variation with peppers.Soft eggplant.
A sharp, sweet dressing.
Caponata combines fried eggplant with celery, tomatoes, olives and capers. Vinegar and sugar give it agrodolce, the sweet-and-sour flavor that balances the richness of the vegetables. Expect soft eggplant, a little bite from the celery and briny pockets of olive and caper.
Across Sicily, recipes vary from kitchen to kitchen. It can open a meal as an antipasto or accompany a main course as a contorno. Served cool or at room temperature, it is particularly useful when you want vegetables alongside a richer dish.
Explore by food: Vegetables & cheese
At the table: Antipasti · Contorni.
Let’s make caponata.
Fry the eggplant separately so it keeps its shape, then fold it into the sweet-and-sour vegetables.
4 side-dish portions
What you’ll need
- 600 geggplant (eggplant), cut into 2 cm cubes
- 150 gcelery, sliced
- 100 gonion, thinly sliced
- 250 gchopped ripe tomatoes
- 80 gpitted green olives, halved
- 20 gcapers in brine, drained and rinsed
- 40 mlwhite wine vinegar
- 1 tbspgranulated sugar
- 2 tbspextra-virgin olive oil
- about 500 mlolive oil suitable for frying, for a 2 cm depth in the pan
- 6basil leaves
- to tastesalt and black pepper
The 2-hour total includes cooling. For a next-day version, refrigerate in a covered container and use within 2–3 days. Pine nuts and raisins appear in some versions; they are not included in this preparation.
How to make it
- 01
Prepare the vegetables
Wash and cut the eggplant, celery, onion and tomatoes. Dry the eggplant thoroughly so it will not spit in hot oil. Drain and rinse the capers, and halve the olives. Have a wide frying pan and a separate saucepan ready.
- 02
Fry the eggplant
Heat the frying oil to about 170°C/340°F in a deep-sided pan, with the oil about 2 cm deep. Fry the eggplant in 3 batches for about 5–6 minutes each, turning, until golden and soft. Drain well on kitchen paper; let the oil heat up again between batches.
- 03
Cook the tomato base
In the saucepan, warm the 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for 8 minutes, stirring. Add the tomatoes, olives and capers, then simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, until the celery is tender and the tomatoes have softened.
- 04
Add the sweet-and-sour dressing
Stir the sugar into the vinegar, then pour into the tomato mixture. Simmer for 3–4 minutes so the sharp vinegar smell softens. Fold in the fried eggplant carefully. Taste for salt and pepper, then tear in the basil and take off the heat.
- 05
Cool before serving
Transfer to a shallow dish and allow about 1 hour to cool, refrigerating promptly once the steam has subsided. Serve cool or take out a portion shortly before eating. The flavors settle as it rests; do not leave the whole batch out all afternoon.
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