Shellfish 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 in at the end. Two kinds of olives bring depth and a pleasant saltiness, while capers, lemon juice, and a touch of cumin layer in complexity that goes way beyond your average spread. The pomegranate arils are stirred in by hand so they stay whole, giving you little pops of juicy sweetness against all that savory richness. Fresh mint and parsley keep everything feeling vibrant and alive rather than heavy. Classic tapenades can sometimes sneak in anchovy paste or seafood-based ingredients, but every single component here is plant-based and ocean-free, so there's nothing to second-guess. A quick chill in the fridge lets the flavors meld into something that tastes like you spent way more effort than you actually did. Serve it with crusty bread, crackers, or alongside roasted vegetables and watch it disappear 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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