Where To Buy Muffaletta Olive Salad

Muffaletta Olive Salad Ingredients

How to Make Olive Salad for Muffaletta

Olives

Pretty straightforward. I like to go with a 1:1 olive mix, using both green olives with pimento, and black olives.

Feel free to use kalamata olives if you prefer – I do, sometimes!

Also, feel free to use a different proportion of olives, if you like – just try to keep it to the same overall volume of olives.

Giardiniera

This is a type of Italian mixed vegetable pickle, which you can usually find in the pickles section at a grocery store. Generally, youll see cauliflower, carrot, onions, celery, and strips of red pepper in any jar of giardiniera.

Also, sometimes youll have a choice of regular, or hot. Use whichever you prefer!

Pepperoncini

These are a relatively mild kind of pickled Italian chili pepper, which youll also find in the pickles section of a grocery store.

They add a bit of a pepper kick to the olive tapenade, and you can use as many or as few as youd like. I used to go by Half a small jar worth, but now its really just whatever Im in the mood for.

Just be sure to drain them again after you cut them open – they tend to hold a lot of the pickling brine!

Herbs

Pretty basic – parsley , dried oregano, garlic, and ground pepper.

Olive Oil

The final ingredient is an important one, as it ties it all together.

You dont have to use super premium oil, but be sure to use one that you like the taste of!

The main ingredients for making Muffaletta Olive Tapenade.

How To Make Muffuletta Olive Salad

Full recipe follows , but heres a pictorial overview:

Chop olives and giardiniera, place in a large bowl.

Trim the stem ends off the pepperoncini, allow any trapped brine to drain. Chop, add to the large bowl.

Measure parsley, oregano, and garlic into the bowl, stir well to combine.

Season with ground pepper, to taste, before stirring in the olive oil.

Pack mixture into clean glass jars, making sure to top each jar with olive oil from the bowl.

Transfer to fridge. Ideally, allow it to chill for at least 24 hours before using.

The Muffuletta Is More Than A Mouthful

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 didnt 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.

If you love this recipe as much as I do, please write a five-star review in the comment section below , and be sure to help me share on facebook!

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

Prep Time: Total Time:

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!

5 sweet cherry peppers
2 cloves garlic
1 cup Castelvetrano olives
3/4 cup Spanish olives
1/2 cup roasted piquillo peppers/red pepper
3/4 cup black olives
3 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon oregano

Recommended Reading: Panera Bread Bbq Chicken Salad

Olives Capers Red Peppers And Herbs Come Together In This Light And Easy Salad

This is our take on the classic olive salad used for topping muffuletta sandwiches. The combination of olives, capers, and roasted peppers is at once sweet, salty, and tart. If a muffuletta isn’t on your horizon, this quick salad also makes a fantastic burger or pizza topping.

Recipe Facts

3/4cuppitted mixed oil-packed olives
1tablespooncapers
1/4cupchopped roasted red peppers
2tablespoonsparsley leaves
1/2cupgiardiniera
1mediumgarlic clove, minced
1tablespoonred wine vinegar
3tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil

Muffaletta Olive Spread Faq

What is muffuletta spread made of?

This can vary from restaurant to restaurant, and person to person. Some use a mix of green and dark olives – kalamata, black, or both. Some use primarily kalamata or black olives.

Some – like me – use Giardiniera, an Italian blend of pickled vegetables, while others may use elements of giardiniera on their own. Carrots, celery, red peppers, cauliflower, etc. Personally, I like the ease of using giardiniera!

From there, its the added flavours. Some use capers, most will use pepperoncini, you should definitely use garlic, etc. More on ingredients in a bit, though!

What is in Central Grocery olive salad?

Per the ingredients on their retail jars:

Olives with Pimentos, Oil Blend , Cauliflower, Carrots, Celery, Kalamata Olives, Red Bell Peppers, Capers, Pepperoncini, Water, Vinegar, Salt, Spices, Garlic and Calcium Chloride, Potassium Sorbate, Lactic Acid, Sodium Bisulfite and Yellow 5 as Preservatives.

How long does Muffaletta salad last in the fridge?

Because everything is brined already, then topped with olive oil, this spread will stay good for a LONG time in the fridge.

How long it lasts depends on two things: The expiry dates on the canned/jarred foods that you use, and how you take care of it.

For the longest use, use clean – or even sterilized – jars when packing it. When dishing it out, use a clean fork to scoop it out, leaving a fair amount of olive oil behind. If you notice the olive oil getting low, top it up a bit.

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What Is The Difference Between Muffaletta And Giardiniera

Muffaletta is a chopped, relish-like condiment featuring many olives and crisp pickled vegetables. Its texture is more like a bruschetta or tapenade. Giardiniera, on the other hand, is a mix of cauliflower florets, carrots, bell peppers and celery, which may or may not include olives. Giardiniera isnt chopped up like a condiment, but best enjoyed as an antipasto or a garnish served alongside salads, sandwiches and more.

How To Make Muffuletta Salad

FIRST: Chop all the olives and peppers into small uniform pieces. Make sure all the ingredients are roughly the same size.

SECOND: Combine the olives and peppers with the olive oil, vinegar, and spices.

THIRD: Store in the refrigerator until ready to use on your next muffuletta salad or on a dip.

Keep this stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. But I find that I love it on just about everything so mine doesnt last very long. Try it with your eggs in the morning!

For the full recipe and detailed instructions, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Central Grocery Treasure Olive Salad

One of the foods that New Orleans is famous for is the Muffuletta sandwich. They are served in just about every restaurant in the city but one thing is the same. The olive salad that was invented at the Central Grocery.

The biggest sandwich around, I only ordered 1/4 of one. When the 1/4 Muffuletta showed up, it was bigger than my head. I couldnt finish it!

Defeated by a sandwich and it wasnt even a cool eating competition with people cheering you on!

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 wouldnt 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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Why You’ll Love Muffaletta Olive Salad

Muffaletta Salad | Emeril Lagasse

If you love the bold and brilliant flavors of Mediterranean cuisine, youre sure to love Muffaletta Olive Salad. It harmoniously combines your favorite crisp, briny, tangy, tart and savory flavors in one easy-to-love condiment. Not only can you use Muffaletta Olive Salad on sandwiches, but you can top crostini, scoop up with pita chips, dazzle pizzas and flatbreads the uses are endless!

Also Check: How Do You Make Taco Salad Shells

What Is A Muffaletta

Pronounced: muff-uh-LOT-uh

A muffaletta is a famous italian sandwich invented in New Orleans with cured meats , provolone cheese, olive dressing and great bread. The olive dressing sports chopped green and black olives with onions and olive oil and spices, and the bread is a round sesame-seed roll big enough for sharing. It has become a quintessential must-try food when visiting New Orleans.

Olive Salad For Muffaletta Sandwiches

Youve found it. The mother of all olive salads. Youll want to sit down with a spoon and eat this olive salad as is. We admit. Weve done it. Several times. It didnt even make its way on top of the muffaletta sandwich we made it for. Oh well. As is life.

While were on the topic of Muffaletta Sandwiches..

A key component to a traditional Muffaletta Sandwich is the olive salad. Weve been playing around with different combinations and landed on one that reminds us of the Central Grocery Olive Salad.

Make It A Meal: This Italian Olive Salad pairs perfectly with our Muffaletta Sandwich and Muffaletta Bread.

OLIVE SALAD

While not required, its best to make this 24-hours in advance in order to mingle flavors. Just leave it in the fridge until youre ready to eat.

There are prepared pickled vegetables you can buy instead of making them yourself or buying them one by one. If you live near New Orleans you can probably find a popular brand from the region , however if you dont live near New Orleans your best bet is Giardiniera. We just pick out the individual veggies as we need them.

PLEASE. PLEASE. PLEASE. Use high-quality olive oil. You will taste the difference if you use an inferior brand.

We like to keep our olives nice and chunky. If you prefer a smaller chop, stick the mixture in a blender and do a quick pulse or two to get it to your desired consistency.

Who Invented The Muffaletta

Sicilians have been moving to New Orleans since the 1800s, and bringing flavorful Italian dishes with them. One sicilian in particular, Lupo Salvadore, opened Central Grocery in 1906 in the French Quarter, and with it, introduced the muffaletta. Located across the street from the French Market, Lupo noticed Sicilians shopping for various ingredients found on the sandwich and trying to put them together in a mess. He decided to do it for them and sold the muffaletta in his shop. He created his own recipe for the olive salad that made the sandwich incredibly popular.

What Is Muffaletta

Traditionally, Muffaletta refers to round Sicilian sesame bread. Over the years, however, after the iconic invention of the Muffaletta Sandwich in New Orleans , Muffaletta refers mostly to the olive salad featured on that prized sandwich. Muffaletta Olive Salad is a signature olive and antipasto salad featuring briny green olives, black ripe olives, pickled vegetables , oregano, garlic and extra virgin olive oil. All ingredients are chopped up, similar to a relish, then allowed to marinate for 24 hours or more.

How To Make

Cut the salad ingredients small enough to be used as a spread. Get a mixing bowl and place all the ingredients in it.

2. Mix it well with a large spoon.

3. In a smaller mixing bowl, pour in the dressing ingredients.

4. Whisk until well combined.

5. Pour the dressing over the olive mixture.

6. Stir, cover, and refrigerate this for 8 hours or overnight to give it time to marinate.

There you have it! A super tasty recipe that will knock your next muffaletta sandwich out of the ball park. Trust me, it’s that good.