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    Home » Recipes » Sauces, Pate and Toppings

    Black Olive Tapenade Recipe With Anchovies And Garlic

    Published: Jan 7, 2020 · Modified: Jul 29, 2023. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    Recipe Jump to Video
    Tapenade is an olive paste usually served over some crostini bread or bruschette. It is a mix of black olives, anchovies, garlic, capers, thyme, lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil. #yourguardianchef #dip #spread

    Black olive Tapenade is an olive spread usually served over some crostini bread or bruschetta—the perfect finger food to accompany a glass of rose. Olives are mixed with anchovies, garlic, capers, thyme, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil. This olive paste is a must-have among pantry staples of all olive lovers. 

    Tapenade served on a wooden bowl
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Brine-curing fresh olives from the tree
    • Instructions
    • How to serve it
    • Top tips
    • Capers curiosity
    • More recipes from the South of France
    • 📋Black Olive Tapenade Recipe With Anchovies And Garlic

    Tapenade is a Provençal word meaning spread and a classic Mediterranean recipe. 

    However, there are many olive tapenade recipes, and ingredients and flavors are often added or changed.

    This recipe perfectly balances the addictive savory flavor of olives, anchovies, capers, and garlic, making a thick paste.

    For a smoother paste, you can add more extra-virgin olive oil.

    You can use green olives or add sun-dried tomatoes.

    You will find a similar recipe everywhere in the Mediterranean countries using a wide variety of black olives.

    You can buy prepared Tapenade in a jar, but a homemade olive tapenade is so easy to make you will taste the difference.

    For more olives recipes you can check fried stuffed olive Ascolane, Pan Bagnat, and stuffed pepper.

    Black olives provencal

    Ingredients

    The main ingredients you need to make a homemade tapenade are:

    • Fresh black olives: you can use niçoise olives, kalamata olives, and ligurian taggiasca. As I have my olive tree in the garden, I use my olives. If you are buying the olives, make sure they are already pitted, you will save so much time
    • Anchovy fillets: I always use anchovies stored in salt as I do not trust the quality of the commercial oil they use to store them. 
    • Capers: As for the anchovies, I always use capers stored in salt as I do not trust the quality of the commercial oil they use to store them.
    • Fresh Thyme: you can substitute with fresh parsley
    • Fresh Garlic cloves
    • Fresh lemon juice: this can be replaced with wine vinegar or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar

    For a vegan tapenade, you can omit the anchovies

    Tapenade Ingredients

    Brine-curing fresh olives from the tree

    If you are using the olives from your tree, you must cure them first; otherwise, the taste will be very bitter.

    1. Soak the olives in fresh water for three days.
    2. Prepare a brine solution by dissolving enough salt in water until it becomes saturated. 
    3. Soak the olives in the brine for another three days
    4. Pit the olives
    pit the olives

    Instructions

    Preparing the ingredients

    If you use capers and anchovies stored in salt, rinse them in water to remove the excess salt.

    1. Place a tablespoon of capers in a strainer and rinse under running water.
    2. Drain the water before using them
    3. Rinse the anchovies under running water to eliminate the salt.
    4. Remove the bone and fins from the anchovies fillets.
    Capers and anchiovies stored in salt

    Making the olive paste

    remove the center of the garlic
    1. Remove the green sprout in the center of the garlic clove
    put all the ingredients for the tapenade in the food processor
    1. Add all the ingredients into a blender and mix
    1. Add more olive oil if you want to have a smoother paste
    Black olive Tapenade served on a wooden bowl topped with capers

    How to serve it

    It is a perfect summer appetizer served at room temperature as a spread on baguette slices or homemade bread, but there are many other ways you can serve it:

    • Seasoning for pasta dishes
    • Mix it in salad dressings
    • Sandwich spread 
    • Serve on a charcuterie board
    • Over Spanish style cheeses like Manchego
    • On main courses to flavor and marinate meat
    Fried pizza, Tapenade socca appetizers

    Top tips

    • Buy pitted olives, it takes too long to remove the bone
    • You can use green olives instead
    • Add more oil if you want to have a smoother paste
    • Use capers and anchovies stored in salt, they taste so much better
    Tapenade on a slice of bread

    Capers curiosity

    Did you know there are capers plants growing naturally on the Roman walls in Rome?

    Capers growing on walls

    More recipes from the South of France

    Other appetizers from the South of France that you can serve with Tapenade are:

    • Pissaladiere Nicoise
      Pissaladiere Nicoise
    • Chickpea pancake plain and with rosmary cut in slices and served in a paper bag as street food
      Italian Chickpea Pancake (Farinata, Cecina, Panella, Socca)
    • Socca chips dipping into eggplant caviar
      Easy Aubergine Caviar (Eggplant Caviar)
    • nicoise salad on a floating bowl
      Traditional Nicoise Salad For A Light And Healthy Lunch

    If you are making this black olive Tapenade, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, or sign up to my newsletter.

    Black Olives Tapenade Recipe

    📋Black Olive Tapenade Recipe With Anchovies And Garlic

    5 from 4 votes
    Laura Tobin
    Servings 1 cup
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 10 minutes mins
    Print Recipe Save Saved! Pin Recipe
    Black olive Tapenade is an olive spread usually served over some crostini bread or bruschetta—the perfect finger food to accompany a glass of rose. Olives are mixed with anchovies, garlic, capers, thyme, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil. This olive paste is a must-have among pantry staples of all olive lovers.
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • Braun blender
    • Mini Measuring Set

    Ingredients
     

    • 1 cup pitted black olives
    • 4 anchovies stored in salt
    • 1 clove peeled garlic cloves
    • 1 teaspoon capers
    • 3 sprig thyme
    • 2 teaspoon lemon juice
    • 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

    Instructions
     

    • If you bought the olives and did not read the label, like me, pit the olives
      1 cup pitted black olives
    • Remove the green sprout in the center of the garlic clove
      1 clove peeled garlic cloves
    • Add all the ingredients into a blender and mix
      4 anchovies stored in salt, 1 teaspoon capers, 3 sprig thyme, 2 teaspoon lemon juice, 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • Serve it on bread or crackers

    Video

    Notes

    • Add more oil if you want to have a smoother paste 
    • You can also use green olives

    Nutrition

    Calories: 721kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 5gFat: 77gSaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 2174mgPotassium: 117mgFiber: 4gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 675IUVitamin C: 9.6mgCalcium: 106mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Please consider Leaving a Review!
    important notes on ingredients

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      How To Make The Authentic Genovese Pesto Sauce
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      Caramelized Sweet Red Onion Relish Recipe
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      How To Make Homemade Olive oil Mayonnaise Recipe

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ramona

      May 29, 2018 at 1:37 pm

      5 stars
      Absolutely delicious recipe and so versatile - I put this in pasta, on pizza, on toast, but sadly, I buy this ready made but I will definitely make my own now. My son really loves it. He will be so pleased to have his mummy’s made one now. 😉 Thank you for sharing this Laura.

      Reply
      • Laura

        May 29, 2018 at 2:56 pm

        You are welcome, once you make it at home it is difficult to go back to the prepared one

        Reply
    2. Dawn - Girl Heart Food

      May 29, 2018 at 6:44 pm

      5 stars
      Love how versatile this is! I can imagine it's lovely on a sandwich for that extra punch of savoury flavour! YUM!

      Reply
      • Laura

        May 29, 2018 at 6:53 pm

        Thanks, yes on sandwiches is delicious

        Reply
    3. Beth

      May 29, 2018 at 8:08 pm

      5 stars
      I adore black olives! I am not a huge fan of green olives, but love the black! I have never made a tapenade! It looks so easy! Great for a large gathering!

      Reply
      • Laura

        May 30, 2018 at 7:27 am

        It is Beth, and I must say Patty and I almost finished it all and the boys complaining as we used it in the video and didn't share. I am definitely going to make it more often

        Reply
    4. Robotance

      August 07, 2018 at 8:55 am

      5 stars
      I would definitely like to try making a tapenade. This looks delicious. Thanks for sharing! 🙂

      Reply
    5 from 4 votes

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    Laura Giunta Tobin

    Hi, I’m Laura. Welcome to my blog! While many talk about Italian food, I’ve lived it firsthand. Here, I share real Italian home cooking, just as it’s made in Italy. Won’t you join me?

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