Mediterranean Olive Tapenade

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