Green Olive Salad (Sicilian Style)
Crushed green olives, celery, garlic and good oil — the punchy Sicilian insalata di olive is a relish more than a salad, and it’ll wake up anything you put it next to.
This Sicilian green olive salad sits somewhere between a salad, a relish and a condiment. It’s sharp, garlicky and crunchy, and a spoonful lifts grilled fish, meat or bread instantly.
What you need
Good green olives (a meaty Castelvetrano or Cerignola), pitted and lightly crushed or roughly chopped; finely sliced celery (heart and leaves); thinly sliced garlic; chopped red onion; a little chilli; red wine vinegar; and plenty of good olive oil. Capers, oregano or mint are welcome.
Method
Crush the olives lightly with the flat of a knife (this lets them drink the dressing), then toss everything together with the vinegar and oil. Let it sit at least 30 minutes — an hour is better — before serving at room temperature.
Two things make it Sicilian rather than sad. Crush the olives rather than leaving them whole — cracking them open lets the garlic, vinegar and oil get inside, so they’re seasoned through, not just rolled in dressing. And let it marinate: this is a salad that wants an hour (or a day) for the flavours to marry and the celery to drink the oil. Keep it in the fridge in oil and it gets better for days — a jar of instant flavour to spoon over anything plain.