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Olive Salad – New Orleans Muffuletta Olive Salad

October 13, 2016 by Jennifer 21 Comments

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Last updated on February 3rd, 2020 at 02:09 pm

This New Orleans Olive salad is a mixture of olives and peppers for any sandwich! | Take Two Tapas | #olives #NewOrleans #olivesalad #salad #muffuletta

This olive salad is a mixture of garlic, maybe an olive or two, and vinegar with some peppers thrown in there too. Use it to top a cracker, hang out with your boring chicken, or make an authentic New Orleans Muffuletta sandwich!

Use this olive salad to make this Cheesy Olive Bread, this Muffuletta Cheese Ball and these Mardi Gras Deviled Eggs!

New Orleans Olive Salad in a white bowl.

I went all the way to New Orleans and I only brought one thing back!

Central Grocery Treasure

Have you ever been to New Orleans?  I have had the pleasure of going three times and each time I ate way too much.  

When you are traveling somewhere new, what is the first thing you plan?  For us, it’s food.  What cool restaurants are there, are there any that have been on the Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives show, any authentic, local hangouts that are a must for all tourists?  

I would stay in a tent on the sidewalk if it meant that I would be able to visit all the food joints that I wanted to try.

My first Low- Country experience.

Right before Brooks and I got married we traveled to New Orleans to visit one of his college friends.  We experienced Mardi Gras on Bourbon Street (from a balcony where I got to throw beads and see some things I didn’t want to see!!), watch the parades, eat beignets at Cafe du Monde, and even manage to steal a manhole cover from the Garden District.

Keep that on the down low!

I no longer have the souvenir in my possession morality police so calm down.  It stayed in NOLA just not in its original location as it wouldn’t fit in my suitcase.  Despite all our shenanigans, my favorite memory of the whole trip was eating a classic Muffuletta sandwich.

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New Orleans Olive Salad is a mixture of garlic, assorted olives, and vinegar with some peppers thrown in there too.

If you’d rather skip my (very helpful, I think) tips and tricks, essential cooking info, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to this delicious easy Olive Salad recipe – simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you can find the printable recipe card.

Is the Muffuletta just a sandwich?

I beg to differ!  As a frequent eater of Italian sub sandwiches, I was happy to see that the Muffuletta contained the traditional Italian meats, Capicola, salami, and mortadella. But there was something else to it that made it special, aside from the sheer size of the sandwich.  It’s the olive salad!

Speaking of size, I made the mistake of ordering a whole Muffuletta sandwich at the restaurant even after Brooks told me that I only need a quarter size.  He knew I could pack away some food so I was naturally curious as to why I only needed a 1/4 of a sandwich.  

I had been walking all day taking in the sights and I was HUNGRY!  He calmly told me that if I was still hungry he would get me another one so I was satisfied with that answer.

Brooks ordered a Po-boy, which I was also curious about. If he was going to deny me adequate food and leave me hungry, I would just steal some of his.

This post may contain affiliate links.  I earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.  Your purchase helps support this blog at no additional cost to you and allows me to continue bringing you delicious recipes and funny stories.  For my entire disclosure policy click here.
Muffuletta Olive Salad up close in a spoon!

The Muffuletta is more than a mouthful!

The 1/4 Muffuletta showed up.

It was bigger than my head.

I couldn’t finish it.

I was defeated by a sandwich and it wasn’t even a cool eating competition with people cheering you on!

But I gratefully lost to the Muffuletta because of the one special condiment that adorned it: the olive salad.  A mixture a few olive types, some pickled vegetables, a hint of garlic, some vinegar, and peppers for good measure.  

Tangy, briny, and filled with so many different flavors, I wanted to buy a jar of it!  I wanted to rub it on my face!  I would have rubbed it on Brooks’ face and kissed him but I didn’t want to waste any!

We sat there for quite a while and dissected out all the pieces of the olive salad so I could try and recreate it later.  While not an exact replica due to all the local variations, this recipe is the product of our detective work.  I like to think this is pretty darn close. So close in fact that I used it in my Muffuletta Deviled Eggs and to coat my Muffuletta Cheese Ball!

While we did shop for souvenirs, I wanted the one thing I brought back from NOLA to be a recipe.  This olive salad recipe!

Why doesn’t it contain cauliflower?

I wanted to highlight mostly olives and peppers. I have included cauliflower in my Giardiniera but you can also add cauliflower to this, just cook it or let it sit longer.

How long does olive salad last?

If you just make it fresh it will last up to a week in the fridge. If you want to keep it longer I recommend processing it with traditional canning techniques.

What if I am missing or can’t find one specific ingredient?

Don’t fret, just leave it out and add more of on of the others:)

Do I have to use this on a muffuletta?

Nope, feel free to use this on just about anything!

If you are looking for something to make with this Olive Salad, check out my Cheesy Olive Salad Bread for a quick appetizer.

Looking for a quick appetizer you can make ahead of time for a get-together that you are hosting and are already stressed to the max?  Check out all my cheese ball recipes, both sweet and savory, to fit your special occasion!

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If you love this Muffuletta Olive Salad Recipe as much as I do, please write a five-star review in the comment section below (or on Pinterest with the “tried it” button – you can now add pictures into reviews, too!), and be sure to help me share on facebook!

Easy New Orleans Olive Salad Recipe

New Orleans Olive Salad Recipe in a white serving bowl

Chopped Olive Salad

Yield: 16 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

This salad is a mixture of garlic, maybe an olive or two, and vinegar with some peppers thrown in there too. Use it to top a cracker, hang out with your boring chicken, or make an authentic New Orleans Muffuletta sandwich!

Ingredients

  • 5 sweet cherry peppers (sliced and seeded)
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 cup Castelvetrano olives (pitted and chopped)
  • 3/4 cup Spanish olives (pimento removed)
  • 1/2 cup roasted piquillo peppers/red pepper (diced)
  • 3/4 cup black olives (chopped)
  • 1/4 cup olive oil 3 tablespoons capers (drained)
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. Make sure all items are chopped fine and combine.
  2. Store in the fridge until ready to use. Because the olive oil solidifies in the fridge, set out about 5 minutes before you plan on serving!

Notes

*If you like this recipe, please leave me a comment and rate it with some stars.  Thank you!

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 67Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 261mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g

This nutrition information was generated via a third party, Nutritionix, and can not be held liable for any discrepancies in the information provided.

Did you make this recipe?

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© Jennifer
Cuisine: American / Category: Condiments and Sauces

@TakeTwoTapas.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encourages and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

Filed Under: Condiments and Sauces Tagged With: Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, New Orleans, olive

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Comments

  1. Danielle says

    October 18, 2020 at 2:05 AM

    Can you please let me know if I can make it with out peppers or capers can’t have either I m allergic

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      October 18, 2020 at 12:54 PM

      You can certainly leave out any pepper that you are allergic to. It will still turn out great!

      Reply
  2. Mick Emery says

    August 9, 2020 at 2:33 PM

    do yo have canning recommendations?

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      August 10, 2020 at 11:16 AM

      I haven’t tried canning it yet. The nature of the salad (using already brined olives and peppers) allows it to sit and not go bad. I would make a little more of the vinegar, salt, and olive oil (enough to cover the salad). This will allow you to store it in the fridge or in a cool dark place (40-70F) for up to a year. I usually eat all of mine before I have the chance to save any LOL.

      Reply
  3. Cynthia L Van Dam says

    February 1, 2020 at 6:41 PM

    Love it. Didn’t have all the ingredients, but what I had was great. I’m from New Orleans. I was hoping to imitate the olive salad I ate last week at Luizza’s last week. This was close enough. 5 stars from me

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      February 3, 2020 at 1:56 PM

      Thank you!!

      Reply
  4. sue weber says

    February 17, 2019 at 8:39 AM

    cant wait to make this salad… does this serve 10 or 16???? says both in recipe.
    thanks

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      February 18, 2019 at 3:45 PM

      Sorry about that! I forgot to change the settings on the recipe card. It makes roughly 10 servings but they are small since it is meant to be more of a condiment/relish as opposed to a full salad. If you want you can serve it on some mixed greens:) I hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  5. Andrea says

    August 20, 2018 at 8:12 AM

    I am an olive lover. I could eat this by the spoon full.

    Reply
  6. Sandi G says

    October 29, 2016 at 6:36 PM

    I love savory olives and I can’t wait to try out this dip…I bet it would be incredible on crostini.

    Reply
  7. Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake says

    October 27, 2016 at 3:40 AM

    New Orleans is one of the places I would love to visit, you make it sound so amazing too! I hope I can go one day!
    This salad is awesome!

    Reply
    • chubcheeks@bellsouth.net says

      November 10, 2016 at 11:32 AM

      It is amazing! Just steal a manhole cover:)

      Reply
  8. Tamara says

    October 25, 2016 at 11:15 AM

    Haha Jennifer! I love to read your posts 🙂 I’m cracking up about the manhole cover!

    I am an olive fanatic (we have castelventrano olives in our fridge at all times), and your olive salad looks and sounds divine! What more could an olive lover like me want? Well, maybe a glass of wine…

    Reply
    • chubcheeks@bellsouth.net says

      November 5, 2016 at 5:50 PM

      Wine and olives are the absolute best!

      Reply
  9. Julie says

    October 25, 2016 at 9:40 AM

    I love everything about this olive salad. I can see where it would be a great condiment, dip or dig in on it’s own! I love New Orleans but have never been brave enough to visit during Mardi Gras. Love the Beignets!

    Reply
    • chubcheeks@bellsouth.net says

      November 5, 2016 at 5:49 PM

      The parades are the best!

      Reply
  10. Tracy says

    October 24, 2016 at 3:31 PM

    Ahh I’ve always wanted to go to Nawlins! Sounds like you’ve gotten to experience all the best parts of it. This looks amazing- I want to put it on everything. And I love that dish!

    Reply
    • chubcheeks@bellsouth.net says

      November 5, 2016 at 5:49 PM

      Thanks Tracy!

      Reply
    • Julie Holzenthal says

      May 9, 2017 at 11:15 PM

      If you go to New Orleans, please don’t call it “Nawlins”! Locals will give you a nasty look! We never call it that! We pronounce New Or”lens” (like camera lens). But I highly recommend the muffaletta! My favorite place to get one actually makes adds small pieces of broccoli in their olive mix.

      Reply
  11. jane @ littlesugarsnaps says

    October 24, 2016 at 3:03 PM

    Your first trip sounds kind of wild and so much fun. Shame about that manhole cover….. i love this kind of salad. So many uses but I’d be tempted just to spoon it from the jar directly into my mouth it looks so good.

    Reply
    • chubcheeks@bellsouth.net says

      November 5, 2016 at 5:49 PM

      I have been know to do that from time to time. Or everyday!

      Reply

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