Description
A vibrant and flavorful Tomato Salad with Olive Tapenade featuring ripe tomatoes seasoned and topped with a savory black olive, caper, and anchovy paste. This Mediterranean-inspired dish is enhanced with fresh parsley and quality extra virgin olive oil, making it a perfect refreshing appetizer or side.
Ingredients
Scale
Tomato Salad
- 5 medium-sized tomatoes, sliced into 1cm (0.2″) thick rounds
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Extra olive oil, for drizzling (about 1 tbsp)
- 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, left whole or roughly torn
Olive Tapenade
- 1 cup kalamata or other black deli olives, preferably unpitted
- 2 tsp capers, drained or rinsed if packed in salt, chopped
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- 1 large or 2 small anchovy fillets, minced
- 1/4 tsp red or white wine vinegar
- 4 – 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (use your best quality)
Instructions
- Season tomatoes: Place the sliced tomatoes into a bowl and sprinkle the salt evenly over them. Toss gently to combine. Let them sit for 15 minutes to allow the tomatoes to release some liquid, then drain off any excess juice carefully.
- Prepare tapenade: If olives are pitted, remove pits. In a blender or food processor, combine the olives, capers, minced garlic, minced anchovy fillets, and wine vinegar.
- Blend tapenade: Add 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the blender and pulse until a rough paste forms, scraping down the sides as needed. If the mixture is too thick to blend well, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to loosen it. The final tapenade should be smooth but still have some texture, not overly oily or too fine.
- Assemble salad: Drain the tomatoes one last time if any liquid has accumulated. Arrange the tomato slices overlapping on a large plate or platter. Spoon about one-third of the tapenade over the tomatoes, or more to taste.
- Garnish and serve: Scatter the parsley leaves over the tapenade and tomatoes. Drizzle the salad with approximately 1 tablespoon of extra olive oil. Serve the salad with the remaining tapenade on the side so guests can add more if they like.
Notes
- Use high-quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor in the tapenade and salad drizzle.
- If you do not have anchovy fillets, you can omit them, but the tapenade will lose some of its classic umami depth.
- To pit olives, gently press them to release the pit or use a pitting tool.
- The resting time for salted tomatoes allows excess moisture to drain, which keeps the salad from becoming watery.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 0 mins
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keywords: tomato salad, olive tapenade, Mediterranean salad, appetizer, no-cook salad, healthy salad
