Black olives, capers, anchovies and garlic, finely chopped into a concentrated, salty paste. The name comes from the Provençal word for capers, tapena, and that tells you exactly what lies at the heart of the flavour.
Tapenade
Tapenade
Tapenade
Tapenade
Method
01
Pit
Pit the olives if they haven't been already.
02
Chop
Put the olives, capers, anchovies and garlic in a food processor and pulse to a coarse, cohesive paste. Don't purée it too smooth; tapenade should keep some texture.
03
Oil
Gradually add the olive oil while the machine pulses briefly, until you reach the desired consistency.
04
Season
Season with freshly ground black pepper and a dash of lemon juice; salt is usually not needed because of the olives, capers and anchovies.
05
Store
Store covered with a thin layer of oil, chilled, for up to a week.
Tips & notes
Use good-quality, flavourful olives such as Nyons or Kalamata; olives from a cheap tin give a flat, slightly metallic tapenade.
Chef's tip
Tapenade originally comes from Marseille, where it is traditionally made with a mortar rather than a food processor; that gives an even coarser, more rustic texture that many enthusiasts prefer to the smoother machine-made version.
Variations
- Green tapenade – With green olives instead of black, milder in flavour.
- With sun-dried tomato – For extra sweetness and umami.
- Without anchovies – For a vegetarian version, with slightly more capers for the salty effect.
Contains:
Fish
Serve with
- Toasted baguette
- Crudités
- Grilled fish
- Lamb
- As a stuffing for poultry
| Calories | 397 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 20 g |
| Carbohydrates | 5 g |
| Fat | 34 g |
| Fibre | 2 g |
Estimated values, calculated from standard nutritional values per ingredient.
