Signing you in…

Mediterranean Olive Tapenade

Mediterranean Olive Tapenade prepared dish

This savory mediterranean olive tapenade blends briny kalamata olives, green olives, capers, anchovy, garlic, lemon, parsley, and olive oil into a bold spread. Serve it with toasted bread, crisp vegetables, grilled fish, or roasted chicken.

This recipe is mediterranean style, snack, scaled for 6 servings, with 15 min prep.

Prep: 15 min · Total: 15 min · Serves: 6

Quick cooking notes

  • Core ingredients include anchovy fillets, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon juice, pitted green olives.
  • Follow all 10 steps in order for the intended texture and doneness.
  • Ingredient quantities listed below are for 6 servings.

Ingredients

  • 3 fillets anchovy fillets (drained)
  • 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 0.5 cup pitted green olives (drained)
  • 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley (chopped)
  • 1 clove garlic (roughly chopped)
  • 1.5 cups pitted kalamata olives (drained)
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper (freshly ground)
  • 2 tbsp capers (rinsed and drained)

Instructions

  1. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a medium bowl with no heat, add 1.5 cups drained pitted Kalamata olives, 0.5 cup drained pitted green olives, and 2 tbsp rinsed and drained capers, and let them drain for 2 minutes so the tapenade is not watery.
  2. Spread the drained olives and capers on a cutting board and pat them dry with paper towels for about 1 minute, until the surfaces look matte rather than wet.
  3. Fit a food processor with the metal blade, with the machine off and no heat, and add the 1 clove roughly chopped garlic and 3 drained anchovy fillets to the work bowl.
  4. Pulse the garlic and anchovy in the food processor 5 to 6 times, about 10 seconds total, until the mixture is finely minced and no large garlic pieces remain.
  5. Add the drained Kalamata olives, drained green olives, rinsed capers, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, and 0.25 tsp freshly ground black pepper to the food processor bowl, keeping the machine off while loading to avoid spills.
  6. Pulse the mixture with no heat in 1-second bursts for 8 to 10 pulses, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after about 5 pulses, until the olives are finely chopped but not pureed.
  7. With the food processor running on low speed and no heat, drizzle in 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil over 15 to 20 seconds until the tapenade looks glossy and loosely bound.
  8. Stop the food processor, scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula, and pulse 2 to 3 more times if needed until the texture is spreadable with small visible olive pieces.
  9. Transfer the tapenade to a small serving bowl with a rubber spatula, let it stand at room temperature for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to settle, then taste and adjust only with a few drops of lemon juice or a pinch of black pepper if desired.
  10. Serve the tapenade at room temperature with clean utensils, or cover it in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days; let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving so the olive oil loosens.

Nutrition (per serving)

  • Calories: 133
  • Protein: 1 g
  • Fat: 14 g
  • Carbohydrates: 4 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Sugar: 0 g
  • Sodium: 850 mg

Nutrition values are estimates based on stored ingredient totals and serving size.

Related recipes by cuisine or ingredients