Sicilian Eggplant Caponatina (Caponata)

Sicilian Eggplant Caponatina (Caponata) is a marinated salad with olives, tomatoes, onions and a sweet-and-sour vibe! Make this refreshing vegan appetizer or side dish the day before serving to allow the flavors to develop.

Mom's Sicilian Eggplant Caponatina is one of the reasons I started this blog back in 2014.

It's one of those dishes I loved for years but never attempted myself. Because, Mom makes the caponata.

But, with Mom in her 70s, I realized I needed to learn how to make this and many other family recipes. So, I did my best in the early days of this website to replicate her version of this Sicilian eggplant appetizer. (Keep in mind, she doesn't measure anything!)

Now, years later, I've improved the recipe so it better matches Mom's. You're going to love it!

It's stand-at-the-counter-and-eat-it-right-out-of-the-bowl delicious. Like this Pan-Fried Eggplant with Tomato Sauce, you eat caponatina at room temperature or chilled.

What is caponatina?

People use the terms "caponatina" and "caponata" interchangeably. But technically, caponatina includes tinier chunks of eggplant, so the relish can be spread on crostini for an appetizer.

"Melanzane" is the Italian word for eggplants, so this dish is called "caponata di melanzane"  in Italian. It's a sweet-and-sour salad of cooked eggplant cubes, onions, crushed fresh tomatoes and garlic, tossed with black and green olives and some basil. Some recipes call for celery, peppers and capers, but we're not using them here.

This vegan and gluten-free dish is best eaten the day after it's assembled. My family is addicted to it and will graze on it all day long!

Recipe ingredients

It's important to use nice eggplants for this recipe. No mushy ones allowed!

If you don't see good ones at the market, ask a produce worker to bring out more eggplants from the back. You can then go through the box yourself to pick the best ones. #italiancookingsecrets

Choose eggplants that are:

• Glossy and firm, not bruised.
• With green tops, not brown.
• Small and skinny, if possible, because they are younger and usually have less seeds, which are bitter.

There are myths about the existence of male and female eggplants and how looking at the shape of the dimple on the bottom can identify which ones have more seeds. Just remember, the heavier the eggplant, the more seeds it probably contains.

If you discover yours have tons of seeds, you may want to remove some. I chose well this time, and didn't need to take any out.

A note about the tomatoes:

You will need to peel and seed all the tomatoes, then squeeze them dry so they don't make the salad runny. Prepping the tomatoes takes 30 minutes if you're doing this alone, so try to recruit an extra pair of hands, if you can.

Some recipes call for tomato sauce instead, but we love fresh tomatoes here. We haven't tried using canned, peeled, tomatoes in the caponata, but that might be worth experimenting with, if you get rid of the seeds and juice.

How to make Sicilian eggplant caponatina

1. Cook the onions and garlic in olive oil until soft.

2. Stir in cubed eggplants and cook for six minutes. Add basil and seasonings.

3. Stir in the tomatoes and vinegar.

4. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring periodically.

5. Add the olives and sugar. Stir to combine and place in a serving bowl (affiliate link) to chill overnight.

How to serve it

Caponata is perfect for the buffet table, because it's dairy free. We love this at parties and family gatherings as an Italian side dish.

You also could serve it on crostini as an appetizer, similar to tomato bruschetta. And I bet it would be excellent stirred into rotini as a pasta salad.

But, honestly? If this is in the fridge at my house, we grab forks and nosh on it all day long, right out of the bowl.

You'll see what I mean after you try it.

More recipes like this

• Eggplant Parmigiana
• Roasted Eggplant Dip
• Baked Breaded Eggplant Slices
• Marinated Zucchini with Mint
• 63 Italian Appetizer Recipes

Enjoy!

(Recipe Source: Adapted from Mom, who doesn't measure anything. Originally published on June 21, 2014 and updated now with an improved recipe, new photos and text.)

Sicilian Eggplant Caponatina (Caponata)

Caponatina is a refreshing, sweet-and-sour eggplant salad that's better the next day. Let it chill overnight before serving.

5 from 5 votes

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Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 33 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 27 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 10

Calories: 329kcal

Author: Mamma C

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 ½ pounds fresh tomatoes (about 10 Roma tomatoes)
• ▢ 1 cup chopped sweet onion (from about half of a large onion)
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves
• ▢ 1 cup olive oil (we use regular, not extra virgin; see notes)
• ▢ 2 pounds eggplants (see notes)
• ▢ ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
• ▢ 12 ounces black olives (sliced & drained; buy them sliced to save time)
• ▢ 7 ounces pimiento-stuffed green olives (Manzanilla, drained)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons sugar
• ▢ 5-6 fresh basil leaves or 2 teaspoons dried basil
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ⅓ teaspoon black pepper

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Instructions

• Use a peeler to remove the skin from the tomatoes. For each tomato, cut a circle around the core to remove it, then cut the tomato in half. Cut each half in half again. Squeeze the tomato quarters gently to loosen the seeds and scrape them out with a knife.
• Squeeze out the liquid from the tomato pieces and set them in a drainer. Pat them dry with a paper towel before adding to the caponata.
• Rinse the eggplants. Cut off the root and stem ends. Peel the skin. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise, then in half again lengthwise. If they're still very thick, you can cut them in half again. Cut the eggplant horizontally into cubes about 1.5 inches thick. (Or make them smaller for a spreadable relish.)
• Chop the onion and garlic. Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high. Add the onions to the pan and cook for a couple minutes, then add the garlic. Cook until the onions are soft. Don't let the garlic burn.
• Add the eggplant cubes to the pan and stir them in with the onions and garlic. Cook for about 6 minutes. Snip the basil into pieces and add them to the pan. Stir in black pepper and salt.
• Add the tomatoes and vinegar to the pan and stir briefly. Put the heat on medium and cook for 15 minutes uncovered, stirring periodically as needed to prevent sticking.
• While the caponata is cooking, drain the olives and dry them on paper towels. When the caponatina is finished cooking, remove the pan from the heat. Add the olives and sugar to the eggplants. Stir to combine.
• Place the caponata in a serving bowl, cover it and refrigerate it, ideally overnight. Before serving, stir the caponatina and taste to see if it needs any salt. Be sure to try it with the olives, which will add a salty flavor. Serve cold or at room temperature as a side dish or on crostini for an appetizer. Use a slotted spoon to scoop it out of the bowl.
• Store leftovers in the refrigerator, covered tightly, for up to five days. I would not freeze it.

Notes

It's important to use nice eggplants for this recipe. No mushy ones allowed!

If you don't see good ones at the market, ask a produce worker to bring out more eggplants from the back. You can then go through the box yourself to pick the best ones. #italiancookingsecrets

Choose eggplants that are:

• Glossy and firm, not bruised.
• With green tops, not brown.
• Small and skinny, if possible, because they are younger and usually have less seeds, which are bitter.

There are myths about the existence of male and female eggplants and how looking at the shape of the dimple on the bottom can identify which ones have more seeds. Just remember, the heavier the eggplant, the more seeds it probably has.

If you discover yours have tons of seeds, you may want to remove some.

A note about the tomatoes:

You will need to peel and seed all the tomatoes, then squeeze them dry so they don't make the salad runny. Prepping the tomatoes takes 30 minutes if you're doing this alone, so try to recruit an extra pair of hands, if you can.

Some recipes call for tomato sauce instead, but we love fresh tomatoes here. We haven't tried using canned, peeled, tomatoes in the caponata, but that might be worth experimenting with, if you get rid of the seeds and juice.

Olive oil: We use regular olive oil, since it's more mild than extra virgin. If you use extra-virgin olive oil, you may need a little extra sugar.

Nutrition

Calories: 329kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 964mg | Potassium: 518mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1188IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg

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