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Looking to bring a touch of the Mediterranean to your appetizers? This black olive tapenade is a must-have from the South of France. It’s rich, savory, and ready in just a few minutes. Perfect as a dip, a spread, or even stirred into pasta or to top grilled fish.
Ingredients for Authentic Black Olive Tapenade
To make this delicious traditional black tapenade, all you need are a few simple, tasty ingredients. You’ll find the exact quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the article!
- Black olives: Ripe, high-quality olives like the French Olives de Nyons PDO or Kalamata olives. Their taste makes all the difference!
- Anchovy fillets: Traditional and full of umami. You can skip them for a vegan version, but they do give the tapenade its signature depth.
- Capers: They bring a nice salty kick and a bit of tang.
- Garlic: Just one clove or even half is enough.
- Olive oil: Choose a good-quality extra virgin olive oil.
Tip: for a more fragrant version, I like to add a pinch of homemade herbes de Provence.
How to Make a Traditional Tapenade
You’ll see, it’s super easy to prepare! Traditionally, tapenade was crushed with a mortar and pestle… but honestly, it’s so much quicker, more convenient and easier in the food processor, and frankly, you can’t taste the difference at all!
- Blend the ingredients: Place the black olives, anchovies, capers, garlic and herbs in the bowl of a blender.
- Add liquids: Pour in olive oil and lemon juice. Blend in pulses to desired consistency.
- Taste and adjust: Adjust seasoning. Pour the tapenade into a jar and drizzle with oil to preserve.
My tip: I prefer a slightly grainy tapenade. To achieve this, I blend in bursts and stop as soon as I like the texture!
Ideas for variations
- Vegan version: Replace the anchovies with 1 tsp. brown miso or tamari soy sauce.
- Light version: Less oil, more lemon juice and honey to counterbalance the acidity.
- With nuts: Add a few sprinkles of walnuts, pine nuts or almonds for an original touch.
- Color variation: Try my green tapenade recipe for a change!
How to Serve Tapenade Like in Provence?
Tapenade is incredibly versatile:
- Spread it on toasted baguette slices or crackers.
- Add a spoonful to roasted vegetables or grilled chicken.
- Swirl it into pasta or even use as a pizza base.
- Try it in a sandwich like this burrata and tomato sandwich
- For adding a twist a mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables or soup
A little extra: I love spreading it on a slice of bread with tomato confit and a little feta cheese! It’s also delicious as an accompaniment to a Provençal meal, with a bouillabaisse for example, or as a finishing touch on a vegetable tian or ratatouille.
Black Olive Tapenade Recipe
Black tapenade: the traditional recipe of the South
Ingredients
- 1 cup of black olives pitted, 160 g
- 5 anchovy fillets
- 1 tablespoon capers 10 g
- 1 clove of garlic
- ¼ cup of olive oil 6 cl
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice 3 cl
- 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
- 1 teaspoon honey optional, just a little to soften the bitterness of the olives
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place the olives, anchovy fillets, capers, herbes de Provence, honey and garlic clove in the bowl of a blender.
- Add olive oil and lemon juice. Blend to desired consistency (more or less smooth).
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Pour the tapenade into a jar or bowl. Finish with a final drizzle of olive oil. Store in the fridge or serve immediately with bread, crackers or crudités.
Video
Notes
Nutrition facts
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Frequently Asked Questions
The traditional recipe simply consists of black olives, capers, anchovy fillets, garlic and good olive oil. It’s this combination that makes it so richly flavored!
Yes, because anchovies add that famous umami taste and a touch of saltiness that perfectly balances the bitterness of the olives. But don’t worry, you can’t taste the fish!
If you want a vegan version or simply one without fish, you can use brown miso, a dash of soy sauce or even some finely chopped dried tomatoes. It adds a nice balance too.
Absolutely! It’s even better when chilled for a few hours. Prepare the day before and store in a tightly closed jar, covered with a drizzle of olive oil.
It lends itself to a thousand gourmet ideas: on toast as an aperitif, with crunchy crudités, as a filling for puff pastries, in a Mediterranean sandwich, or even to spice up mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables or soups!
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8 Comments
Loved this. Thank you.
Thank you, Anne!
I love your recipes in your summer series. I want to make the olive tapenade. Every recipe looks and sounds delicious!
Thank you so much Anne! Let me know when you try this recipe!
Delicious, great balance between the salty, acid, and sweet – just like in France!
Thank you so much Tina!
Excellent!
Merci Ashley!
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