Chef Isabel
Aceitunas Aliñadas Andaluzas
Andalucía's green olives are cracked just enough to drink in garlic, cumin, oregano and sherry vinegar, then left two days until the brine turns fragrant and every bite carries the aliño.
Culinary Explorer
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Olivada Catalana
Created by
Catalonia's black olive spread is three ingredients and ten minutes: briny fruit, good oil and a whisper of garlic, crushed coarse enough that the olive still tastes like itself.
Sauces & Condiments
Spanish
Make Ahead
Picnic
Budget Friendly
15 min
Active Time
0 min cook•15 min total
YieldAbout 285g, 8 servings
Olivada is Catalonia's black olive spread: ripe, brine-cured black olives, good olive oil and just enough garlic, crushed into a coarse, glossy paste. What keeps this Catalan preparation distinct from tapenade across the border is its plainness. Capers and anchovy aren't needed in this spare form. The olive carries the dish. Serve it on pa torrat, toasted country bread, beside grilled fish, or next to escalivada.
The crushing decides it. I stop while tiny pieces of olive are still visible, then work in the oil a little at a time. Run the machine without stopping and you'll get a smooth, greasy purée with none of the lively texture olivada should have. Thirty millilitres goes into the paste, and the last teaspoon belongs on top. Pésalo, no lo adivines, weigh it, don't guess.
If you can't find Catalan olives negres or Empeltre olives, choose any good naturally brine-cured black olive. Kalamata works at a pinch, though it makes a sharper, more wine-coloured spread. Avoid uniformly jet-black canned olives, which are mild and give you a dull paste. No hace falta haber pisado España. Keep the machine brief and the garlic modest, and it comes out. Siempre sale, si lo sigues.
Olivada belongs to Catalonia's olive-growing comarques, from Les Garrigues to Terra Alta, where brining carried the olive harvest through the year and a mortar turned the preserved fruit into food for bread. Its name is formed from the Catalan oliva, olive, and both green and black olivades are known. Capers and anchovy appear in neighboring and richer variations, but olives and oil remain the old foundation.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
naturally brine-cured black olives, preferably Empeltre or olives negres d'Aragó
Quantity
250g
pitted, drained, and weighed after draining
small garlic clove
Quantity
1 (3g)
peeled, halved, and green germ removed
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
30ml
extra virgin olive oil, for finishing
Quantity
5ml
fine sea salt (optional)
Quantity
1/8 teaspoon (about 0.7g)
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| naturally brine-cured black olives, preferably Empeltre or olives negres d'Aragópitted, drained, and weighed after draining | 250g |
| small garlic clovepeeled, halved, and green germ removed | 1 (3g) |
| extra virgin olive oil | 30ml |
| extra virgin olive oil, for finishing | 5ml |
| fine sea salt (optional) | 1/8 teaspoon (about 0.7g) |
Equipment Needed
- •Small food processor or sturdy 14 to 16cm mortar and pestle
- •Fine-mesh sieve
- •Flexible spatula
Instructions
- 1
Drain and dry olives
Taste an olive before you begin. If it is pleasantly salty, drain it and carry on. If the brine is harsh, rinse the olives briefly under cold water. Spread them on a clean kitchen towel and pat them thoroughly dry, then weigh out 250g. Water left on the olives thins the spread and makes it spoil sooner.
Whole olives usually taste better than olives sold already pitted. If you have the patience, buy about 330g whole olives, remove the stones, then weigh the 250g of flesh the recipe needs. - 2
Crush, don't purée
Put the garlic and olives in a small food processor. Pulse in one-second bursts 10 to 12 times, scraping down the bowl twice, until the olives form a rough paste with small pieces still visible. Do not leave the motor running. For the traditional mortar method, pound the garlic first, add the olives by handfuls, and crush them against the sides until coarse.
- 3
Work in the oil
Add the 30ml olive oil in three 10ml additions. Pulse twice after each addition, or fold and pound it through with the pestle. Stop as soon as the spread holds together and looks glossy. The oil should bind the crushed olives, not leave them swimming.
- 4
Taste and finish
Scrape the olivada into a small bowl and taste it before reaching for salt. Most brine-cured olives need none. If it truly tastes flat, mix in the measured 1/8 teaspoon. Draw a shallow furrow across the surface and spoon over the final 5ml olive oil. Serve at once, or cover and refrigerate.
Chef Tips
- •Empeltre olives, also sold as olives negres d'Aragó, give a soft, fruity olivada with a brown-black colour. A naturally cured Kalamata is the useful substitute abroad, but it brings more acidity and a purple cast.
- •Avoid mild, uniformly black canned olives. They have little bitterness or perfume, and no method can put back flavour that wasn't in the fruit.
- •Keep the garlic to one small 3g clove. Raw garlic grows stronger while the spread rests, and by the next day a large clove can smother the olives.
- •Serve olivada with toasted pa de pagès, Catalan country bread, grilled sardines or mackerel, roast vegetables, or escalivada. A young Garnatxa Blanca or a dry Catalan vermut suits its salt and gentle bitterness.
- •Because it contains fresh garlic in oil, refrigerate the olivada promptly at 4°C or colder and use it within four days. Always take portions with a clean spoon.
Advance Preparation
- •Make the olivada up to one day before serving. Its flavour settles overnight, but the olive oil firms in the refrigerator, so bring it out 15 minutes before eating and stir once.
- •For a picnic, carry it in a sealed container surrounded by ice packs. Do not leave it unrefrigerated for more than two hours, or one hour when the air temperature is above 32°C.
- •For longer storage, freeze small airtight portions for up to two months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and stir well; the texture will be slightly softer, but the flavour remains sound.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 36g)
Calories
110 calories
Total Fat
11 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
9 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
540 mg
Total Carbohydrates
2 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
0 g
Protein
1 g
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