Barley Free Pomegranate & Mint Olive Tapenade
This tapenade is a showstopper — briny, bright, and just a little unexpected thanks to the burst of pomegranate arils folded through every bite. The combination of Kalamata and green olives gives it real depth, while fresh mint and a hit of lemon zest keep things lively and fresh. Capers and a touch of ground cumin round out the flavor in a way that feels both Mediterranean and genuinely exciting. The technique here matters: pulsing rather than blending keeps the texture chunky and satisfying, and stirring in the pomegranate and herbs by hand means the arils stay juicy and the mint stays vivid green. A short rest in the fridge lets everything meld into something that tastes like you spent far more effort than you actually did. Every ingredient in this recipe is naturally free of barley, so there's no need to scrutinize labels or worry about grain-based fillers sneaking in the way they sometimes do in store-bought spreads. Serve it with crackers, crostini, or spooned over grilled fish — it's the kind of thing that disappears fast.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- 1 ½ cups pitted kalamata olives
- ½ cup pitted green olives
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp capers, drained
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the Kalamata olives, green olives, capers, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, black pepper, and cumin in a food processor. Pulse 8–10 times until the mixture is coarsely chopped and no whole olives remain, but the texture is still chunky — not a smooth paste.
- 2
Add the extra virgin olive oil and pulse 3–4 more times until the oil is incorporated and the tapenade holds together loosely.
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