Castelvetrano Olive Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Oct 19, 2026
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This olive salad mixes mild, buttery green catelvetrano olives with sun-dried tomatoes and walnuts, all coated in tangy pomegranate molasses and spices. Everything goes into one bowl with no cooking, and in 10 minutes you have an easy appetizer or small side.
An Olive Salad for People Who Think They Don’t Like Olives
This salad converts anyone who thinks they don’t like olives, and Castelvetranos are the reason. They’re mild and buttery with a meaty texture, so they don’t have the harsh brininess that turns people off some other green olives.
The idea comes from the zeytin salatası I tried from Hatay and Gaziantep in Turkey, and this is my own spin on it. It also borrows from my Persian marinated olives with walnuts, but the sun-dried tomatoes, the spices, and fresh lemon take it somewhere different.
Everything goes into the bowl at the same time. I put on gloves and mix it all with both hands, because that’s the easiest way to make sure all the ingredients coat every single olive. There’s no salt in this recipe because the olives bring plenty on their own.
Ingredients
- Castelvetrano olives: I use pitted whole olives because they look so much nicer in the bowl, but chopped olives work just fine. Other mild, meaty green olives like Cerignola or Picholine work well too. If you use a brinier olive like Manzanilla, taste before adding all the lemon juice.
- Sun-dried tomatoes: They have a deeper flavor than fresh tomatoes, and that depth goes much better with the pomegranate molasses and olives. I use the dry kind straight from the bag with no soaking, but oil-packed work well too. Just cut back on the olive oil so the salad doesn’t turn oily.
- Tomato paste: I love adding it because it brightens the flavor of the whole salad.
- Garlic: Gives the salad its punch, and one clove is enough for this recipe.
- Spices: Don’t miss out on this spice combo because it gives the salad all the oomph. You need dried mint, sumac, Aleppo pepper and oregano.
- Pomegranate molasses: Use store-bought or make homemade pomegranate molasses.
- Walnuts: Toasted works best, and they stay crunchy in the fridge for days. Chopped almonds are a good swap, or skip the nuts entirely.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon juice for a final touch of freshness.
How to Make Castelvetrano Olive Salad
Drain the olives and add them to a large bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients on top of the olives.
Put on gloves and mix everything, mixing with your hands helps coating every olive far better than a spoon.
Serve right away, or let the salad sit for 30 minutes so the flavors come together.
Serving and Storing
You can serve this salad right away, but it’s best after sitting at room temperature for at least 30 minutes so the flavors come together.
It works as a small side or as an appetizer with crusty bread, and a loaf of crusty no knead bread is perfect alongside it. It also belongs on a meze spread next to a bowl of homemade labneh, and it elevates any cheese board.
The salad keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days. Before serving, let it come to room temperature and add a drizzle of olive oil to freshen it up.
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Please comment and leave a 5-star🌟 rating below. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter to get a free e-Cookbook!
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Castelvetrano Olive Salad with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 12 oz pitted Castelvetrano olives, drained
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp sumac
- 1 tbsp Aleppo pepper
- 1 tbsp dried mint
- ½ tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 lemon, juice of
Instructions
- Drain the olives and add them to a large bowl. Leave them whole or chop them if you prefer.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, and parsley to the bowl.
- Add the tomato paste, sumac, Aleppo pepper, dried mint, oregano, pomegranate molasses, olive oil, grated garlic, and lemon juice.
- Put on gloves and mix everything with your hands until the olives are well coated and everything is evenly combined.
- Let the salad sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving so the flavors come together.
Notes
- If using oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, reduce the olive oil so the salad isn’t too oily.
- There is no need to soak dry sun-dried tomatoes.
- Mild green olives like Cerignola or Picholine work in place of Castelvetranos. If using brinier Manzanilla olives, taste before adding all the lemon juice.
- No salt is needed because the olives are salty on their own.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature and drizzle with a little olive oil before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
