Although he always felt he was destined for the kitchen, James first studied Music Technology at college before ditching it and spending time working as a labourer and painter. A job running a kiosk at Alton Towers gave him his first experience of hospitality and serving food. From there he moved into the hotel, where his passion for cooking exploded into life. Learning on the job from a host of talented chefs, James successfully passed his level 2 and 3 NVQs and has never looked back. He has worked for Totally Delicious for 8 years and is now Executive Chef across the company’s different sites. For the caper crusaders out there, here’s five totally delicious ways with capers from James.
Salads and dressings
Although small in stature, capers pack a serious salty punch and are a great addition to salads and dressings.
Sauces
Great for adding texture, seasoning and flavour to sauces, I love using capers in my tartar sauce recipe to accompany classic fish and chips.
Gorgeous garnish
If you simply flash fry your capers and then dry them off on a towel, you get these beautiful salty little crisp balls that are brilliant texture providers for an assortment of dishes. I particularly like to use them as garnishes for fish and salad dishes.
Banging blitz
I blitz my capers down with herbs to use as marinades or rubs. It’s a great way of seasoning and penetrating meats and fish and boosting flavour. The capers can provide a lovely salty backbone to dishes.
Brining & Fermenting
Brining fish and meat is a great way of improving texture, infusing flavour and locking in moisture to prevent cuts drying out when cooked. Capers are a brilliant ingredient for your brining liquor, but this is where you can be creative with herbs and spices as well.