19 Delightfully Briny Capers Recipes

Capers are like flattery—a little goes a long way. A tablespoon adds tiny pops of brine, moody in color and assertive in flavor. You know their power if you’ve added a sprinkle to a bagel with lox, scattered some over a Niçoise salad, or used them to fortify a pasta puttanesca. Though petite in size, this pantry stalwart will make a big impression on any savory dish in need of a hit of lemony tang.

Technically, capers are the flower buds of the Capparis spinosa plant, a prickly shrub commonly found bordering the Mediterranean, in places like Morocco and Greece. The smallest variety is nonpareil, meaning “without peer” in French and available in most grocery stores. Sold packed in salt or soaking in a vinegar solution, they’re tart and potent, like teeny, supercharged olives. (Not to be confused with caper berries, the larger, unripe fruit of the same plant, which you’ll often see still on the stem.)

At home, buy the big jar and ditch the narrow-necked bottles altogether, so you can easily fish out your bounty with a spoon. Then pat them dry (rinse first, if salted), and crisp them in a splash of oil to create a textural topping for roasted vegetables or a bowl of soup. Finely chop them to stir into a creamy dressing, like a Caesar, for a vegetarian-friendly alternative to anchovies. Or use the brine from the jar to marinate chicken, which stays tender and juicy beneath a pan sauce made from whole capers and butter.

You’ll find that quick recipe below, along with many more company-worthy ideas—all so winning they may turn your guests into caper converts too.