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Home > All Recipes > French Hors d'Oeuvres Recipes

Tangy Olive Tapenade Recipe

Modified: Nov 23, 2024 by Judith E. Coates · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

Tapenade is an hors d'oeuvre or appetizer that is the perfect dish to have ready in your refrigerator!
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tapenade recipe

This lovely recipe gets its title from the Provençal name for capers which gives this dish a lot of spunk along with the other ingredients black olives, anchovies, and olive oil in this tasty recipe. It is an easy dish to make at home and can be made the traditional way with a pestle and mortar, or with a food processor. Either way, it is simple to make and is very tasty!

tapenade spread recipe

How To Serve This Tasty Dish

  • on a variety of crackers
  • on toast or crusty French bread like baguettes
  • with a raw vegetable (crudites) platter
  • for a snack, lunch, perfect appetizer, and a condiment for a variety of foods

Variations

It can be flavored with garlic, herbs, lemon juice, and even brandy, it is entirely optional for you depending on what you want it for or to your own tastes. Why not try it with different flavors to see which you prefer?

Tapenade Spread

It is basically a paste and is usually spread on pieces of toast but can also be spread on crusty French bread, crackers, or crudites, whichever you prefer. Tapenade is also used to stuff fillets for a main meal.

special tapenade dip

This is a delicious dish to add variety to your hors d'oeuvres table, or, if like me you fancy a snack, it is the perfect dish to have ready in your refrigerator.

If you would like to have something more decadent make this recipe Duck Foie Gras With Truffles!!

See more delicious appetizers below but don't leave out Baked Camembert as it is superb!!

Tempting Appetizers

  • Quick and Easy Olive Tapenade
  • Snails With White Wine & Mushrooms
  • Olives As Appetizers
  • Stuffed Avocados
  • Exquisite Chicken Liver Paté Recipe

📖 Recipe

Prep Like a Pro
Before you start cooking, chop, measure, and prep every ingredient, and gather your tools.
This simple habit reduces stress, prevents overcooking, and instantly improves your meals. Mise en Place - "Everything in its place."

tapenade recipe

Tangy Olive Tapenade Recipe

Judith Coates
Tapenade is an hors d'oeuvre or appetizer that is the perfect dish to have ready in your refrigerator!
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Ingredients

  • 225 gram/8 ounce black olives pitted
  • 4 ounce/100 gram anchovy fillets use tinned
  • 225 gram/8 ounce capers
  • 100 gram/4 ounce tuna fish tinned and drained
  • 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon cognac
  • Freshly ground black pepper and NO SALT! Anchovies provide enough salt.
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Instructions
 

  • The traditional way to make your tapénade is to pound the olives, the anchovy fillets, capers and tuna fish using a mortar and pestle.
  • You can of course do this, however, if you have a processor, just place the ingredients into this and mix on slow for a few seconds then add the mustard, the olive oil and the cognac and process again for a further few seconds or until it has formed a good smooth paste.
  • Place your tapenade in a serving bowl or dish and leave to cool in the refrigerator.
  • Serve with toasted French bread or with little herb crackers.

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