New Orleans Style Olive Salad

Not just for muffalettas, New Orleans style olive salad is incredibly adaptable and will add a delightful crunch and garlicky flavor to so many foods. Try it mixed with chopped romaine for an instant Italian salad or atop cheese and crackers for an impromptu appetizer.

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Recently I told y’all a story of the early culinary explorations of me and my brother. Well today I’ve got another one, and it involves Dixie Beer.

For a short time my brother and I went to the same university which was a thrill as he was my hero and a musician and had super cool friends which he shared with me. Since our school was only a couple hours from New Orleans, we spent many a weekend there, walking the French Quarter, listening to music, rummaging used book shops and, of course, eating. If we had time (and money) we went to The Napoleon House and, in the shady courtyard, drank German St. Pauli Girl beer and felt very worldly. Other times we ducked into Central Grocery and waited in line (always a line!) for muffalettas and ice cold Dixie Beer.

If you were in the know — and of course we were thanks to my cool brother — you tucked into the back room and grabbed a table where you could savor the quintessential New Orleans flavor of Dixie Beer (available only in the city at that time) and of ham and salami and melty cheese topped with this crazy crunchy oily mix of who knew what other than that it was GOOD. So good in fact that we began buying a jar of it every time to take home.

Fast forward a couple decades or so. When developing the menu for our café, I decided to include a French Market toastie. Made with ham, salami, provolone cheese and olive salad, it took me back to those early days with my brother. For awhile I bought olive salad from the grocery, but it got a little… expensive. Plus I wasn’t totally pleased with the taste or texture, and looking at the ingredients, I knew I could make it myself. And I did! And so can you! Here’s how to make olive salad.

New Orleans Style Olive Salad Ingredients

You’ll need:

Pimiento Stuffed Green Olives. I like the smaller size of Manzanilla olives, as there seems to be a good ratio of green olive to red pepper (color is important!)

Black Olives. Yep, just humble canned black olives from the grocery. Whole or sliced, large or small. Doesn’t matter as they’ll all get chopped up anyway.

Carrots. Crunch and color.

Celery. One of the three faces of the NOLA culinary trinity (celery, garlic, onions).

Garlic. And here’s another one!

Onion. Oh look! All 3 made it in…

Cauliflower. I know. Seems out of place, but trust me, it adds just the right contrast of color and crunch for New Orleans style olive salad.

Dried Oregano + Basil.

Olive Oil. A glug of olive oil never goes amiss when you’re seeking F L A V O R.

Vegetable Oil. I like to finish off the oil section of this recipe with a mild vegetable oil.

You’ll also need:

Food Processor or Chef’s Knife. I have 2 food processors — one for quick chopping like this and another for making bread dough.

Measuring Cups. 

Airtight Storage Container. Glass is best here for several reasons: it doesn’t hold the scent of garlic AND it doesn’t get all sticky from the oil like plastic does.

how to make New Orleans Style Olive Salad

Note: To “coarsely chop”, pulse the food processor about 7 times. How many times you have to pulse will, of course, vary depending on your machine. Take note of the above photo and notice that the olives and veggies are NOT pureed and they vary in size. This keeps things interesting and makes it more fun to eat!

1. Coarsely chop onions and garlic in the food processor. Dump into a mixing bowl.
2. One ingredient at a time, coarsely chop the carrots, celery, cauliflower, green olives and black olives. (No need to wash the work bowl between each ingredient!) Add each to the mixing bowl.
3. Add oregano and basil to the mixture, and stir to combine all ingredients.
4. Pour in olive and vegetable oils and give another good stir to make sure everything is well mixed.
5. Transfer to an airtight storage container and keep in the fridge for up to several months.

How to store olive salad

New Orleans Style Olive Salad keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to several months. I like to reuse the olive jars to store my olive salad!

recipe notes for new orleans style olive salad

Can I use all olive oil?

Definitely! The olive salad will just have a much stronger flavor. TIP: use a tablespoon of the olive salad oil for your next sauté. Instant flavor explosion!

Can I make it ahead?

Actually, New Orleans style olive salad is better if made at least a day in advance. This gives the onion and garlic (especially the garlic!) a chance to permeate the oil and veggies with their intoxicating flavors.

What can I do with olive salad?

So much! It’s incredibly adaptable and will add a delightful crunch and garlicky flavor:

• in potato salad
• as a topping for hummus
• atop cream cheese on a bagel or whole grain crackers
• tossed with chopped romaine lettuce for an instant Italian salad
• and yes, even on a ham, salami and cheese sandwich!