Why it works: Capers and parsley match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,550 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓
Caper Sauce
Ingredients
Directions
Mince one-third of the capers very fine and halve the rest.
Combine the capers in a bowl with the melted butter or thickened gravy.
Stir well to combine, ensuring it does not separate.
If desired, add minced herbs and citrus juice for extra flavor.
Store the caper bottle tightly corked to prevent spoilage.
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.
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Capers + parsleytop 1% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together1,550 recipes
Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).
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Parsley + orangetop 10% of all pairsSmell alikestrongCooked together680 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
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Butter + parsleytop 15% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together28,563 recipes
Shared aroma: trans-2-hexenal (green, leafy).
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Capers + buttertop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together1,637 recipes
Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
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Vinegar + parsleytop 16% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together6,477 recipes
Shared aroma: 4'-methylacetophenone (bitter almond).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Capers
- Provide the sharp, briny flavor that gives the sauce its character.
- Melted butter or thickened gravy
- Forms the rich base that carries the capers and gives the sauce body.
- Vinegar
- Adds acidity that brightens the richness of the butter or gravy.
The step that matters
Stir well to combine, ensuring it does not separate. Melted butter is an emulsion of fat and water, and it can split when cooled or overworked. Stirring thoroughly while the mixture is warm helps the fat and liquids stay blended, giving a smooth, cohesive sauce.
Swap the parsley
The recipe marks parsley as optional. How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (capers, vinegar, butter, orange):
- Tarragonfits better
- Parsleythe original
- Thymefits about as well
- Dillfits less well
Fit is the average pairing score against capers, vinegar, butter, orange. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“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.
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