Don't Throw Out That Caper Juice And Make Your Salad Dressing Sing

A caper's culinary merit is twofold. On one side, there are the buds that taste like tiny bursts of summer. Wherever they go, that sunshiney acidity follows, brightening up even the blandest dishes. The other, far more overlooked and much less utilized, is the brine that those capers swim in. It's not even regarded as a proper ingredient most of the time, just something to chuck down the drain once the jar is empty. Unknowingly, that's how we've been missing out on a true salad dressing secret ingredient, one that gives you the best of capers, and then some. Now that's another reason to always keep a jar of capers in your pantry.

That floral, lemony tang you love so much in capers? It's also there in the brine, only this time, intensified by a punchiness that adds extraordinary depth. It's sharp and bold yet also aromatically soothing, with the dual ability to cut through some dressings' creamy richness while blending right into the vinegar base of others. Subtly sweet, salty, and acidic all at once, it does the job of multiple seasonings with just one spoonful. When things get hectic in the kitchen (as they usually do), and you don't have time to also deal with a lackluster salad, this is the convenient flavor quick-fix you need.

Whichever salad capers go into, there's a high chance the juice will fit the dressing as well. In fact, in mayo-based dressings that use citrus juice for dimension, caper brine is a marvelous substitute. Since capers can give potato salad a flavor boost, it's no surprise that the juice can do the same for its creamy, one-note dressing. You can even use it to replace the anchovies' salty notes in Caesar salad for a vegan version of this beloved salad.

Undoubtedly, caper brine also has a spot in green salads, where it takes over the role of vinegar with its punchy tang, along with the added perk of a lemony tart. At the heart of a colorful niçoise salad, you'll find a lemon vinaigrette that pops even more with just a tablespoon of this brine. This twist also works with other light, fresh salads that rely on a vinaigrette for depth, such as a tomato salad or a Mediterranean salad.

Since we're letting our imagination fly, a pickled dressing is not that far from the realm of possibilities. Tanginess comes in abundance if you start with a yogurt base and then add both capers, pickles, and their brine. A green goddess dressing, on the other hand, brings an earthy complexity that you get from mixing the brine with fresh herbs, spinach, and a touch of mustard.