Green Olive, Walnut and Almond Tapenade
The dark, anchovy-driven black tapenade gets all the attention — but a green version with toasted nuts is fresher, milder and, to my taste, the better thing on a summer table.
Classic Provençal tapenade is black, salty and anchovy-deep. This green cousin is a different mood entirely: bright, nutty, herbaceous — closer to a pesto than a paste.
What you need
200 g good green olives, pitted (a firm, nutty Picholine or buttery Castelvetrano is ideal); a handful each of walnuts and almonds, lightly toasted; 1 tbsp capers; a small garlic clove; a little parsley and basil; the zest and juice of half a lemon; and good olive oil. An anchovy or two is optional here — the nuts carry the savoury weight.
Method
Toast the nuts and let them cool. Pulse everything together to a coarse, textured paste — keep some crunch from the nuts. Loosen with olive oil, brighten with lemon, and taste before salting (the olives and capers do most of that work).
The toasted walnuts and almonds do two things: they add a rich, savoury depth that replaces the anchovy, and they give the spread a coarse, interesting texture instead of a flat purée. Don’t over-blend it to a smoothie — you want to find pieces of nut and olive. Spread thickly on toast with a soft goat’s cheese, dollop onto grilled fish, or thin it with extra oil into a dressing for warm new potatoes.