An Olive Even Olive-Haters Will Love

Personally, we love all kinds of marinated olives, from Spanish to Greek to Italian. While we always seek out olives on a tapas menu and could eat a whole bowl in one sitting, many people are turned off by the pungent taste and slippery texture. So to transform these briny orbs into something even olive-haters could enjoy, we decided to fry them and serve them with a creamy aioli.

The crispy, salty marbles maintain everything that is right about an olive, and add a little fried bready goodness to boot. These will disappear quickly, so make sure to plan ahead if serving for a crowd…

Fried Green Olives 

2 c pitted green olives, drained and patted dry
1/4 c flour
1 large egg, beaten
1 c breadcrumbs
1 c canola oil

Set up your dredging station: 1 plate of flour, 1 shallow bowl of the beaten egg, and 1 plate of breadcrumbs.

Lightly dip the olives in the flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs, making sure to cover all sides.

Heat the canola oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Working in batches, fry the olives until golden, about 2 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the olives to a plate covered with paper towel. Serve warm with aioli for dipping.

Tangy Aioli

2 large egg yolks
1 t fresh lemon juice
1/2 t salt
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 t Tabasco sauce or Chipotle powder
1 c EVOO
1 T chopped fresh parsley

Place the first five ingredients into a food processor and mix. While the mixer is running, slowly add the oil through the spout. The mixture will emulsify and become thicker as you add more oil. Once it reaches a thick consistency you’re set.

Stir in the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Can be made ahead of time and refrigerated before serving.