Why Giada De Laurentiis Prefers Her Capers From Italy

Capers are briny, lemony, and tangy, making them great for finishing a variety of dishes, from chicken picatta (Bobby Flay's favorite chicken dish) to bagels with cream cheese and lox. Giada De Laurentiis is a huge fan of using the punchy ingredient — which are actually unopened flower buds — in her cooking. But she prefers her capers from Italy as opposed to American capers — the reason for this being that Italian capers are preserved in salt rather than vinegar. 

The Italian-American food expert explained that vinegar dilutes the flavor of the capers slightly while salt enhances their naturally salty bite. De Laurentiis favors Pantelleria capers, which get their name from the small island off the coast of Sicily where they are harvested. Grown on bushes by the sea, they are renowned for being exceptionally flavorful. Among other Italian pantry staples, Kazzen's Pantelleria capers in sea salt are available to shop on her lifestyle website, Giadzy.com. A 5.3-ounce jar of the savory green buds from the family-run brand costs $24. If you opt to pick some up, be sure to rinse them first to remove excess salt because no one likes food that is too salty. 

Capers often top protein but can also be found in pasta sauces, salad dressings, and more. Chicken piccata is a staple Italian-American dish that capers are used in, and one that Giada De Laurentiis is known for. If you're unfamiliar with the recipe, it involves browning chicken breasts and flavoring with butter, olive oil, chicken stock, and lemon juice. The tart, briny capers perfectly complement the buttery, lemony dish. The bold, subtly crunchy ingredient is also featured in pasta puttanesca, a dish boasting tomatoes, olives, and anchovies, another underrated ingredient De Laurentiis thinks more people should be using. 

If you've never experimented with using capers in your cooking, you might incorporate them into a simple brown butter pasta sauce or sprinkle some atop a salmon fillet or a plate of scallops for a burst of umami flavor. Another way to use them is to mince them to make a zesty salad dressing. Moreover, fellow culinary icon Julia Child elevated her tuna salad sandwiches with capers. You could do the same with chicken salad or a Mediterranean orzo salad. There are really endless ways in which you can use capers in your cooking to make meals super flavorful and unforgettable.