Sicilian Eggplant Caponata Recipe
This classic Sicilian eggplant dish is perfect for late summer meals. This caponata recipe combines roasted eggplant with sautéed bell pepper, celery, tomatoes, olives, and capers. Red wine vinegar and honey are added to make it tangy and sweet. This bold-flavored dish hits the spot when you want a comforting yet lower-carb meal served over grilled swordfish.
While I haven’t traveled to Sicily to try the original authentic caponata, it’s definitely on a bucket list for future non-pandemic travel. Meanwhile – you can visit vicariously by making this meal at home and listening to Maria Callas singing Casta Diva from Norma, composed by Sicilian-born composer Vincenzo Bellini and enjoy a glass of rose or pinot grigio while enjoying this Italian meal.
Interesting to note, much of Sicilian cuisine is influenced by the sweet-versus-sour (known as agrodolce) themes brought to the island during centuries of Arab domination. Caponata—a mixture of chopped eggplant, tomatoes, bell peppers, raisins and capers—is full of sharp flavor contrasts.
Ingredients in Sicilian Eggplant Caponata
While you may be intimidated by the length of ingredients in this dish – its just a few fresh produce items and you probably have the olives and other ingredients on hand in the pantry.
Caponata
- 1 large eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
- ½ teaspoon fine salt, divided, to taste
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (14 ounces) crushed tomatoes
- ¼ cup pitted green olives (ideally Castelvetrano), roughly chopped
- ¼ cup raisins
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Swordfish
- 1 bag Open Nature Swordfish fillets
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- dried oregano
- lemon juice
How to Make Sicilian Eggplant Caponata
- Roast the eggplant. Traditionally, caponata is made with fried eggplant, but we opted to roast the eggplant so that less oil can be used. Roasted eggplant is golden, caramelized, and perfect for caponata.
- Prepare and cook the onion, garlic, celery, and bell pepper. Since the eggplant requires about 30 minutes in the oven, chop the veggies and let them sweat in olive oil until soft.
- Add crushed tomatoes, olives, raisins, vinegar, capers, honey, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf. Measure everything out ahead of time for easy addition to the caponata.
- Stir in the roasted eggplant and fresh parsley. Be sure to taste for seasoning. Caponata tastes best at room temperature, or you can make it ahead of time and let the flavors simmer together longer in the fridge.
How to Serve Sicilian Eggplant
While you can eat caponata straight from the bowl, you can also serve it as bruschetta on toasted rustic bread, or as a sauce over your favorite cooked pasta noodles. Additionally, it’s a delightful side dish for tuna, swordfish, baked cod, and pan-seared chicken.
I paired the caponata with a grilled swordfish and it was amazing! Perfect complement of flavors for a delightful summer meal.
More Eggplant Recipes to Enjoy
- Creamy Eggplant Dip With Caramelized Onion and Roasted Chickpea Flatbreads
- Pasta alla Norma (Eggplant Pasta)
- Grilled Eggplant With Romesco, Basil & Feta Cheese
- Easy Eggplant Pizza
Sicilian Eggplant Caponata With Grilled Swordfish
Ingredients
Caponata
- 1 large eggplant cut into 1-inch cubes
- ½ teaspoon fine salt divided, to taste
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 2 celery stalks thinly sliced
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 can 14 ounces crushed tomatoes
- ¼ cup pitted green olives ideally Castelvetrano, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup raisins
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons capers drained
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Grilled Swordfish
- 1 lb. swordfish
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- dried oregano to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and add the cubed eggplant.
- Sprinkle it with ¼ teaspoon of the salt, drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil, and toss to coat
- Roast the eggplant in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring halfway, until caramelized and golden.
- In the meantime, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a medium Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper and celery.
- Season with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Cook until the veggies are tender about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add the olives, raisins, vinegar, capers, honey, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf. Stir to combine. Simmer on medium-low heat for 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the roasted eggplant and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the fresh parsley, reserving a small handful for garnish. Remove the pot from the heat.
Grilled Swordfish
- Preheat the grill to medium high heat (around 400 degrees F.)
- Brush the swordfish with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and dried oregano on both sides.
- Grill the swordfish for 6 minutes on each side. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the fish and top with caponata.
Notes
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