Why it works: Capers and lemon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,222 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Caper Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Combine capers and cullis in a small saucepan.
Add anchovy essence and lemon juice.
Heat gently, stirring until well mixed.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Capers + lemontop 5% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,222 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
-
Capers + anchovytop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together473 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-methylbutyraldehyde (malty, chocolate).
-
Anchovy + lemontop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together2,080 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Capers
- Add a sharp, briny bite that cuts through the richness of the sauce.
- Cullis
- Forms the smooth base of the sauce and carries the other flavours.
- Anchovy essence
- Adds a deep savoury note that rounds out the sauce.
- Lemon juice
- Adds acidity that brightens the sauce and balances the saltiness.
The step that matters
Heat gently, stirring until well mixed. Gentle heat keeps the sauce smooth and prevents it from scorching or separating, while stirring spreads the acid and savoury flavours evenly through the base.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
More caper sauce recipes
You might also like
Hot Lemon Cream Sauce11 recipes
Wine Sauce (for stewed fruit)186 recipes
Brown Sauce141 recipes
Dutch Sauce74 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.