Barley Free Castelvetrano Olive Tapenade
Bright, briny, and impossibly easy to pull together, this olive tapenade is the kind of condiment that makes everything it touches taste more interesting. Buttery Castelvetrano olives bring a mild, almost fruity sweetness that balances the deeper, saltier punch of Kalamata, while capers and a splash of apple cider vinegar keep things lively and sharp. Fresh parsley and thyme lift the whole mixture with herbal brightness, and a little lemon zest — if you're feeling it — adds one more layer that really ties it together. The food processor does the heavy lifting here; a few quick pulses give you that perfect rough, spreadable texture without turning it into a smooth paste. Grain-based thickeners and fillers have no business in a tapenade anyway, and this recipe sticks entirely to whole, clean ingredients so there's nothing to second-guess on the label. Spoon it over grilled bread, swirl it into pasta, pile it onto a cheese board, or eat it straight off a spoon — honestly, no judgment. Make a jar on Sunday and you'll find yourself reaching for it all week.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 1 cup pitted castelvetrano olives
- ½ cup pitted kalamata olives
- 2 tbsp capers, drained and rinsed
- 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt, or to taste
- 1 tsp lemon zest (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the Castelvetrano olives, Kalamata olives, capers, garlic, parsley, and thyme in the bowl of a food processor.
- 2
Pulse 8–10 times, until the mixture is coarsely chopped and no large olive pieces remain — the texture should be rough and spreadable, not a smooth paste.
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