Olive Salad

This olive salad recipe is a tangy, textural explosion of olives, giardiniera, and pimentos: the secret weapon for any sandwich! It’s a symphony of briny, crunchy, and sweet bursts in every bite.

Welcome to the condiment of your dreams: olive salad! Imagine: olives, pimentos, giardiniera, and capers, mixed with olive oil, vinegar, garlic and herbs. When we saw this idea as the key condiment on a muffuletta sandwich, we had to try it out. And it’s true: this recipe is the secret weapon for any sandwich! It’s a symphony of briny, crunchy, and sweet bursts in every bite. Use it on sandwiches, as a spread or dip as an appetizer, or even a pizza topping.

Ingredients for this olive salad recipe

This olive salad recipe is the key component in a muffaletta sandwich, an iconic New Orleans food invented at the Central Grocery. It layers Italian meats like ham, salami, capicola and mortadella with mozzarella and provolone on fresh baked muffaletta bread. The key to the sandwich is the olive salad, a briny condiment that adds a pop to each bite! Alex tasted this classic sandwich on a trip to New Orleans and has been talking about it ever since.

You can use this olive salad on a homemade muffaletta, but it’s the perfect condiment for any type of sandwich: it truly goes with anything! Here are the ingredients you’ll need for olive salad:

• Castelvetrano olives (or other ripe green olives)
• Kalamata or black olives
• Pimento or roasted red peppers
• Giardiniera
• Capers
• Garlic
• Fresh oregano
• Red wine vinegar
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

A few ingredient notes

This olive salad is best with a mix of olives. We like the flavor of Castelvetrano olives, a green olive variety grown in Sicily with a signature rich, buttery flavor and crisp texture. They have a mild and fruity flavor.

This recipe is slightly expensive with all of the ingredients noted. If you prefer, you can omit the giardiniera and add enough olives and peppers to total another 1 cup. Or, you can simply scale down the other ingredients: use 1 garlic clove, 2 tablespoons capers, and 1 ½ tablespoons each red wine vinegar and olive oil.

Storage info

This olive salad recipe stores for up to 1 month refrigerated. The olive oil solidifies when cold, so allow it to stand for about 5 minutes before using.

Ways to use olive salad

While the olive salad was invented for the muffaletta sandwich, it’s a versatile condiment that works for many other uses! The recipe is vegan, so it’s great for jazzing up vegan and vegetarian sandwiches. Or use it as an appetizer! Here are a few ideas for ways to use olive salad:

• Muffaletta sandwich
• In sandwiches like a grilled cheese sandwich, roasted portobello sandwich, Italian eggplant sandwich, or egg salad
• In tuna salad to add a boost of flavor
• As a pizza topping, like on an Olive Pizza
• As an appetizer spread onto crostini or bruschetta
• As a dip with pita chips
• In deviled eggs to add a pop of flavor
• Stuffed avocado halves as a snack or light lunch with a dollop of olive salad in each half (and optional tuna)
• In pasta salad like bow tie pasta salad or Mediterranean pasta salad
• In green salads like chopped salad or Italian salad

More olive recipes

Love olives and other briny condiments? Here are a few more recipes you’ll love:

• Make tangy Olive Tapenade
• Go for Marinated Olives
• Try Olive Pizza
• Mix up Greek Chicken or Baked Fish with Castelvetrano olives

01

Olive Tapenade

02

Marinated Olives

03

Olive Pizza

04

Easy Baked Fish

This olive salad recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.

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