Nitrate & Nitrite Free Pomegranate & Mint Olive Tapenade
This tapenade is a bold, briny spread with a twist that makes it genuinely hard to stop eating. Kalamata and green olives get pulsed with capers, garlic, lemon, and a whisper of cumin until chunky and deeply savory, then the whole thing gets folded by hand with juicy pomegranate arils and fresh mint — keeping the texture lively and the colors stunning. That hand-fold step is key: the arils stay whole and burst with sweetness against the salt of the olives, while the herbs stay bright green rather than turning muddy. Processed deli spreads and jarred tapenades often sneak in preservatives you'd rather avoid, but every ingredient here is whole, fresh, and clean — nothing cured with additives or packed with hidden extras. A short rest in the fridge lets the flavors meld into something that tastes like it took far more effort than it did. Serve it piled onto crusty bread, spooned over grilled fish, or scooped up with crackers at a party and watch it disappear. A final squeeze of lemon right before serving wakes everything up and keeps it tasting fresh.
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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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