Caper Vinaigrette

Our tangy caper vinaigrette is vibrant, bold, and delightfully textured, which elevates any salad to new heights of taste and enjoyment.

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love Our Caper Vinaigrette
• What Are Capers?
• Caper vs Caper Berries
• What Do Capers Taste Like?
• How To Use Capers In Cooking
• Ingredients
• Variations and Substitutions
• Instructions
• How to Make This Dressing Perfectly [Expert Tips] 
• How to Store
• Best Salad for This Dressing
• Recipe

Why You’ll Love Our Caper Vinaigrette

When you find a salad dressing that not only lifts the salad but takes it to another level, you know you have found a good one.

Our caper vinaigrette packs a punch when it comes to flavour and boasts a delightful chunky texture. This vegan dressing can take the most simple of salads and transform it.

Capers take centre stage as the star ingredient, harmonising beautifully with garlic, apple cider vinegar, and generous amounts of extra virgin olive oil. The resulting combination is a zesty, salty, and remarkably tangy caper salad dressing that delights the taste buds.

Made with a few simple ingredients, our caper vinaigrette is versatile and can be used for tomato salads, spring salads, salmon salads or even as a caper sauce for fish, chicken, asparagus, halloumi or pasta.

What Are Capers?

Tiny but mighty green morsels packed with a tangy, salty flavour, capers are essential in our pantry. We love adding capers to our salads, pastas and sauces.

So what are capers? Technically, they are flowers. What? Flowers? Yes, capers are the flower buds of a caper bush (Capparis Spinosa). It is native to Mediterranean countries, and therefore they are often found in their cuisine.

Capers are similar in size to a corn kernel but can be smaller. I do prefer the baby ones as I can add them whole to my recipes. Otherwise, you can chop them up.

Caper vs Caper Berries

Do not be confused between caper and caper berries. Capers are the flower bud whilst caper berries are the fruit.

Both capers and caper berries are generally pickled, but I find caper berries more mellow and less sharp than capers. Maybe it is due to the size. Caper berries are larger than capers, similar to a small olive in size.

What Do Capers Taste Like?

Capers are generally preserved in a salt and water brine or a mixture of brine and vinegar. Sometimes you will find them cured in salt. 

The flavour profile of capers is salty, acidic, tangy and slightly bitter in one hit. There is a similarity to olive flavour, but more tangy, I find.

How To Use Capers In Cooking

Those little round buds really pack a punch when it comes to flavour. Capers not only add salt but acidity to the dish.

Capers can lift sauces with the right amount of salt and help cut through the richness. You will also find capers in pasta and even soups to add extra flavour. And don’t forget capers and fish! These little morsels add instant flavour to fish.

We have used capers in a number of our salads, all with contrasting flavours, such as watermelon panzanella, chicken potato salad and our salmon sashimi salad. Capers are a versatile ingredient to deliver pops of tang in salads and are delicious in dressings.

Ingredients

Ingredients you’ll need for caper vinaigrette:

Capers: You can find them in your pickled vegetable aisle at the supermarket, next to the olives and cornichons. I would buy the regular sized capers rather than the baby ones, as you have to chop them up for this recipe finely.  

Garlic: To increase the vinaigrette’s intensity, we add a clove of garlic for full flavour and punch. 

Apple cider vinegar: Good quality vinegar with a hint of sweetness. 

Extra virgin olive oil: Adding to the sharpness of the vinaigrette, use a good quality extra virgin olive oil.

Variations and Substitutions

Apple cider vinegar substitute: Lemon juice is often paired with capers, so you can use this in place of apple cider vinegar. 

Extra virgin olive oil variation: I favour high-quality extra virgin olive oil in this caper dressing for its sharp flavour. However, regular olive oil is a suitable alternative, especially when used as a caper sauce drizzled over grilled fish or chicken.

Instructions

Step by step instructions for how to make caper vinaigrette:

Finely chop capers and place in a small mixing bowl.

Crush and finely mince one garlic clove and add to the mixing bowl. 

Add apple cider vinegar and extra virgin olive oil to the mixing bowl and stir well to combine the capers, garlic, vinegar and oil together. 

Season with salt and pepper. 

How to Make This Dressing Perfectly [Expert Tips] 

Chop capers and garlic: As much as I like the caper dressing to have texture, I don’t want whole capers and large chunks of garlic. Finely chop capers and/or mince the garlic well.

Taste and adjust dressing:  You may not need much salt as the capers can be quite salty. Adjust accordingly. 

How to Store

You can store the caper vinaigrette in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. 

Best Salad for This Dressing

Bocconcini Salad with Caper Vinaigrette

Creamy bocconcini mixed with sweet cherry tomatoes and strawberries along with a caper vinaigrette that explodes in flavour. A quick and colourful Bocconcini Salad perfect for the summer months.

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Recipe

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