I love the Sicilian dish Caponata. I wanted to bring this sweet and sour side dish to the forefront of this elegant fish dinner. In addition it’s cooked ‘en papillote’ to retain the juices and flavours. This Caponata and Cod ‘en Papillote’ recipe is a little special and would be perfect for date night or a summer weekend dinner with family or friends. Sicilian romance on a plate, all tied up in a paper parcel.
Sicilian Romance: Caponata and Cod ‘en Papillote’
Few dishes capture the essence of Mediterranean romance quite like caponata. Sicily’s beloved sweet and sour aubergine (eggplant) medley that transforms humble vegetables into something magical.
This isn’t just a side dish it’s a celebration of contrasts. Tender aubergine mingles with sharp capers, sweet tomatoes dance with tangy vinegar, and aromatic herbs tie everything together. By pairing this iconic Sicilian treasure with delicate fish and cooking everything ‘en papillote’, we’re creating something truly special. Each parcel a little gift to unwrap at the table.
The beauty of cooking the caponata and cod ‘en papillote’ lies in how it intensifies and marries flavors while keeping everything impossibly moist and tender. As the parcels cook, the caponata’s sweet and sour notes infuse with the fish, creating layers of flavor. This is date night cooking at its finest. Sophisticated enough to impress, intimate enough to share, and absolutely perfect for those leisurely summer evenings when you want something that tastes like a Mediterranean getaway.
A selection of fish recipes on the blog
Aubergines (Eggplant)
Growing Aubergines needs warmth, and some patience. They absolutely love the heat and therefore thrive best in greenhouses, or sunny and sheltered patios with a south-facing position that is protected from the wind. You need to start seeds indoor in Feb-Mar, ideally in a heated propagator or a warm windowsill. Transplant them into larger pots once their true leaves appear. Only move them to the greenhouse or outdoors when the last frost has occurred – often as late as June. They like consistently moist soil and will definitely need staking when the beautiful purple fruits start to appear.
Varieties that I am growing this year are Moneymaker and Violetta Lunga.
I have used an air fryer for this recipe, however this will work perfectly in the oven as well. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you might need to cook this in the oven if it’s for more people. Simply pre-heat the oven to 190° C, toast the pine nuts on a baking tray for around 5 minutes (checking regularly as they can burn easily). The diced vegetables should be in a single layer on a large baking tray and will need 20-25 minutes at the same temperature. Place the completed paper baskets, with all their filling, on a snug baking tray, and roast for 20 minutes at 190° C.
As an alternative to cod, this recipe would work well with any chunky fish such as salmon.
Caponata and Cod ‘en Papillote’
Equipment
- baking paper
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 1 celery stick
- ½ large aubergine (eggplant)
- ½ red pepper
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- light olive oil to spray
- 1 large shallot
- 1 tbsp small capers
- 8 cherry tomatoes
- 8 black olives
- 40 g raisins
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 large pinch of chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp honey
- 60 ml white wine
- 30 ml red wine vinegar
- 2 chunky cod fillets around 200g each
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley
Instructions
- Remove the basket from the drawer of your air fryer (if it has one) and tip in the pine nuts. Roast at 180 °C for only 3-4 minutes. Check after 2 minutes to see how brown they are. You want them slightly toasted in colour.
- Dice your aubergine (eggplant), celery and red pepper into no larger than 1cm cubes.
- Place the basket back into the drawer of your air fryer. Tip in your diced vegetables, the teaspoon of dried oregano, and spray with light olive oil. Air fry at 190 °C for 8 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through the cooking time.
- Meanwhile, make your papillote baskets. Cut 2 lengths of 30cm/12" of baking paper from the roll. Now, from the shorter end, you want to concertina the paper into a fan (with a width of around 2cm) until you reach the end. Taking 2 small lengths of kitchen string, tie each of the ends tight. From the middle you un-concertina the paper so you are left with a high-sided, boat-type shape paper baskets.
- Once the diced vegetables are cooked, tip them into a bowl and set aside.
- Placing both paper baskets into the drawer of the air fryer (be careful as it’ll still be hot), you then want to tip in half of the cooked vegetables into each of the paper baskets.
- This is easier to do as you go, as you want to share the remaining ingredients between the two baskets. To each basket add half a sliced shallot, 4 halved cherry tomatoes, 4 halved olives, 20g raisins, half a sliced garlic clove, and a small pinch of chilli flakes.
- In a small jug or bowl, combine the honey, white wine and red wine vinegar, and whisk until combined. Pour half into each of the paper baskets on top of the other ingredients.
- Finally, pulling up the sides of the paper baskets, you want to place each cod fillet on top of everything with a final tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
- Air fry at 190 °C for 15 minutes. The cod should be flaking on the top, allowing you to peak inside, when it’s cooked.
- Gently lift the paper baskets from the air fryer onto each serving plate and sprinkle with a final flourish of chopped fresh parsley.
- This dish is perfect served with some steamed rice or couscous and some green beans. Each person gently tears one side of the paper basket and slides the wonderful caponata and fish onto their plates.
Notes
- I have used an air fryer for this recipe, however this will work perfectly in the oven as well – depending on the size of your air fryer you might need to cook this in the oven if it’s for more people. Simply pre-heat the oven to 190° C, toast the pine nuts on a baking tray for around 5 minutes (checking as they can burn easily). The diced vegetables should be in a single layer on a large baking tray and will need 20-25 minutes at the same temperature. Place the completed paper baskets, with all their filling, on a snug baking tray, and roast for 20 minutes at 190° C.
- This recipe would work well with any chunky fish such as salmon, as an alternative.
