This olive salad is just what the doctor ordered chock full of healthy fats and powerful antioxidants. A quick and easy way for you to get your vitamins the delicious way.

If you love olives, then this is the salad for you, bitter green olives, tangy Kalamata olives, oh so sweet cherry tomatoes and sharp-tasting green capsicum (bell peppers) are all smothered in a delicious lemony garlic vinaigrette and make a sublime combination of flavours for your table.

The difference between black and green olives

So, what is the difference between the black and green olives in this salad you might ask? Well, green olives are really just unripe black olives. Green olives are picked before the olives are fully ripe and the colour difference between green olives corresponds to how ripe they are when picked.

As far as taste and texture goes, green olives are denser, firmer and more bitter than black olives

Serving Suggestions

This olive salad partners really well with red meats. It is also good with chicken or any firm-fleshed fish. I have served this salad with barbecued lamb cutlets, a red wine pot roast and also with grilled barramundi.

This is such a forgiving salad, you could make it in the morning, keep it chilled and serve it for dinner just add the dressing just before serving.

How to make Olive Salad

1PREPARE THE OLVIES
If your olives were in brine rinse them, shake to remove excess water then cut them in half lengthwise and then into quarters.

A yellow knife slicing black olives on a wooden board. — QUARTER BLACK OLIVES LENGTHWISE

Slicing green olives on a wooden board with a knife. — QUARTER BLACK OLIVES LENGTHWISE

2PREPARE THE VEG
Wash your cherry tomatoes under cold running water and cut in half.
You can do this either by cutting them one by one or by placing a few under a plastic lid and running a serrated knife through them. However, if your tomatoes are a bit soft it is easier to place your hand over a few and then run a serrated knife through them.
Wash your green capsicums, remove the seeds and core and chop into a medium dice.
Wash your parsley leaves, shake to remove excess then roughly chop. Add all your ingredients to a large mixing bowl.

A hand on top of a pile of cherry tomatoes holding them together so that they can be sliced with a yellow knife on a wooden board. — HALVE CHERRY TOMATOES A FEW AT A TIME

CHOPPED CHERRY TOMATOES ON WOODEN BOARDY WITH KNIFE — HALVE CHERRY TOMATOES A FEW AT A TIME

3ASSEMBLE THE SALAD
Add all the vinaigrette ingredients to a small glass jar and shake until emulsified.
Pour the dressing over salad, season with salt and pepper then toss gently until combined. Taste and adjust seasoning according to your taste.
Arrange your olive salad in a bowl, chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Prepared olive salad ingredients in a white bowl. — ADD ALL INGREDIENTS TO BOWL

Mixing olive salad in a white bowl with a spoon. — ADD ALL INGREDIENTS TO BOWL

Some variations to try

Make it carnivore by the addition of some grilled steak or chicken fillets.
Make it pescatarian by adding a tin of tuna or salmon.
Make it a main meal vegan salad by the addition of a tin of chickpeas or any other bean you fancy.
Make it Greek by the addition of some feta and oregano.
Make it Italian by the addition of some parmesan and basil.
Make it Mexican by the addition of avocado and fresh coriander (cilantro).

What to do with leftovers

Leftovers, not a problem, open up a tin of tuna or chickpeas and your lunch the next day is all sorted. Don’t fancy salad for lunch, then you can also easily blitz the leftovers in your food processor and freeze for a delicious addition to your next pasta sauce.

Olive Salad with Tomatoes and Peppers

The difference between black and green olives

Serving Suggestions

How to make Olive Salad

Some variations to try

What to do with leftovers

Try some more of our capsicum salad and tomato salad recipes