Black Olive Tapenade

October 31, 2024

I recently had the opportunity to try California Ripe Olives at Seaside Provisions Restaurant in North Vancouver. They currently have a California Ripe Olives tasting menu that’s so good, it inspired me to create this tapenade recipe. 🙂

California Ripe Olives have a smooth, buttery and nutty flavor. The olives complement each course in the tasting menu beautifully.

The tasting menu is available until December 1, 2024. You should check it out if you live near Vancouver. It’s delicious!

In the first course of the tasting menu, they infused green and black California Ripe Olives with fresh herbs, crushed walnuts, pomegranate molasses, garlic, and pomegranate arils.

The second course, the burrata linguine, was made with aglio e olio, roasted California Ripe Olives, sun-dried tomatoes, chili flakes, burrata and crispy prosciutto.

Finally, for dessert we had these amazing fennel and lemon verbena meringues with Chantilly cream and California Ripe Olives moss.

I wanted to include fresh herbs and walnuts in the tapenade recipe because I really enjoyed those ingredients in the marinated olives starter. I also thought that the red chili flakes, garlic and olive oil in the second course really enhanced the flavor of the linguine dish, so I wanted to include those ingredients in the recipe as well. For brightness, I added some lemon juice and lemon zest. For brininess, I added some capers, and for some umami, I added one anchovy fillet. I think everything worked well together. I was careful not to overpower the smooth and delicate flavor of the olives with the other ingredients. I wanted the olives to be the star and they really shine in this appetizer. I hope you like it as much as I do.

To make the tapenade, just put all of the ingredients in a small food processor and blend until you achieve your desired texture. You can serve the olive spread as an appetizer with crostini or crackers. You can enjoy it with fresh cheese like burrata or fresh mozzarella; a whipped ricotta would be nice too. You can add it to a charcuterie platter as well. It would also be fantastic in a salad dressing or a pasta dish. Last night we enjoyed the black olive tapenade with some crackers before dinner. I put some of the leftover tapenade and chicken in a bun and had it for lunch today; it was really yummy!

For more olive recipe inspiration, check out California Ripe Olive’s Instagram and Pinterest accounts. You can find California Ripe Olives locally at a Costco near you.

Enjoy!

Print
Black Olive Tapenade
Prep Time
10 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 

Black olive tapenade

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: Olives, tapenade
Servings: 2
Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups black olives
  • 1/4 cup fresh herbs of your choice (parsley, chives, thyme)
  • 1 tbsp capers
  • 1 tbsp walnut pieces
  • 1 anchovy fillet (optional but recommended)
  • 1 small clove of garlic, grated (add a pinch of salt)
  • 1/3 lemon, juice and zest
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
Instructions

  1. Put all of the ingredients in the food processor except for the olive oil. Pulse until you have achieved your desired texture.

  2. Add 3 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and pulse one more time.

  3. Pour the spread into a serving bowl and top the tapenade with the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil and garnish with herbs.