
Caponata of Mackerel
Caponata di Sgombro
Caponata Sicilian with mackerel, freselle, vegetables, pickles, capers and olives, with a savory and acidic flavour.
There caponata Mackerel is a cold and hearty dish, perfect for a lunch or dinner where you want to serve a complete dish, rich in contrasts. The base combines the softness of cauliflower and leafy greens with the crunchy, absorbent notes of freselle, while pickles, papaccelle, capers, and olives create a savory and pleasantly acidic profile. The mackerel, arranged on top, adds a rich, marine component, lightened by extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. White wine and vinegar soften the toasted bread and help it blend with the dressing, without requiring elaborate sauces. caponata Mackerel is recommended as a cold dish, served after resting for a while to absorb the liquid. This recipe is considered a traditional Sicilian dish.
Instructions
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7 steps · natural Italian voice
Boil the cauliflower
Boil the cleaned cauliflower until tender but still firm enough to cut without falling apart. Drain carefully and let it cool, so it doesn't dilute the dressing and maintains a recognizable texture in the salad.
Prepare the vegetables
Cut the boiled cauliflower into small pieces, escarole Curry and lettuce. Reduce the mixed pickles and papayas equally, so each bite maintains a balance of crunch, tenderness, and acidity.
Add the dressing
Combine the anchovies, chopped vegetables, capers, and Gaeta black olives in a large salad bowl. Season with a little salt, peppercorns, extra virgin olive oil, and white wine vinegar, then toss vigorously to distribute the dressing evenly.
Soften the freselle
Place the freselle in a bowl and sprinkle them with white wine and 1 dl of white wine vinegar. Let them soak until they're soft on the outside but still manageable, without completely losing their structure.
Crumble the bread
Crumble the softened freselle directly into the salad bowl, forming pieces that are not too small. Mix carefully to incorporate the bread into the dressing and vegetables, avoiding overworking. the mixture until it becomes uniform or pasty.
Compact the caponata
Level the surface of the preparation in the salad bowl with the back of a tablespoonLevel without pressing too hard: the mixture It should be tidy, but maintain the distinction between the bread, the vegetables and the pickled items.
Complete with mackerel
Place the cooked mackerel on top, then drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Spread the dressing without breaking the fish, so the flesh stays intact and the final result is fresh and aromatic.
Chef's Tips
Crumble the freselle only after softening them, leaving irregular but not tiny pieces: they must absorb the seasoning without turning into a compact mass.
Ingredients
- Ingredients for 4 people
- (7.05 oz) 200 g mackerel
- 4 freselle (rusk bread)
- (14.11 oz) 400 g cleaned cauliflower
- (5.29 oz) 150 g mixed pickles (giardiniera) 2 papaccelle (bell peppers pickled rounds)
- 1 head of escarole curly lettuce, 1 head of lettuce
- (3.53 oz) 100 g capers
- (3.53 oz) 100 g Gaeta black olives 4 salted anchovies
- 1 dl of extra virgin olive oil 1.5 dl of white wine vinegar
- 1 dl of white wine, lemon juice, salt and peppercorns
Can't find it in the US?
- salt-packed anchoviesItalian delis or online
Oil-packed anchovy fillets: 2 fillets for each whole salted anchovy
No need to rinse or bone them.
⚠️ Automatic ingredient-based detection. Always check product labels.









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