Caper leaves ✦

Feuilles de câprier

What it is

On Salina and Pantelleria the leaves are a second crop off the same bush the buds come from, brined whole once the picking of capers is over. In Cyprus and Lebanon the tender shoot tips go into the jar with them, so a Levantine jar holds as much stem as leaf.

In the kitchen

Rinse and pat dry, then use them flat as a wrapper around a slice of fish or a spoonful of ricotta — heated beyond a gentle warming they turn slimy. A short soak also brings down a salt level that would otherwise fight anything acidic.

Goes with

Ricotta Anchovy Olive oil Lemon Tomato Sea bass Burrata Oregano

Same species

Caper berries Capers Salt-packed capers

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