Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club

Salmon Tartare

Use the freshest salmon you can find for this recipe, which was shared with us by Chile-based olive oil expert Denise Langevin. We prefer wild-caught salmon or farm-raised Chilean Verlasso salmon, available online or at many supermarkets.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless skinless salmon fillets, chilled and diced into 1/4-inch cubes
  • 1/4 cup finely diced sweet or sour pickles or seeded cucumber
  • 1 tablespoon brined capers, drained and chopped
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 small onion, peeled and diced
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or more to taste
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or more to taste
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Toasted bread, for serving

Directions

Combine the salmon, pickles, and capers in a mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, onion, mustard, soy sauce, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine. If desired, pack the salmon into a mold and chill before serving with toasted bread.

Serves 4 — Recipe courtesy of Denise Langevin

Olive Oil Egg Salad

We like to mound this salad in the middle of an attractive plate or bowl and surround it with Belgian endive in a flower petal pattern. It makes a lovely keto-friendly appetizer.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 large white onion, peeled and diced
  • 8 large hard-cooked eggs, peeled
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Sliced bread, endive or treviso spears, crackers, or lettuce leaves, for serving

Directions

Step 1

In a large skillet set over medium-low heat, heat the oil until it’s shimmering. Add the garlic and onions, stir to coat with the oil, and then cover. Cook, stirring now and then, until the garlic and onion are very soft, about 30 minutes. It may be necessary to reduce the heat slightly to keep them from scorching and to add a touch of olive oil if anything starts sticking to the skillet.

Step 2

Remove the skillet from the heat. Use the back of a fork to mash the warm garlic and onion until the mixture is a soft, jam-like consistency. Push the onions and garlic to the side and use the back of the same fork to mash the eggs into a soft spread. Incorporate the mushy garlic-onion paste into the eggs and stir until fully incorporated. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Step 3

Serve the egg salad on toasted bread as a sandwich or with endive, crackers, or lettuce leaves as an hors d’oeuvre.

Serves 4 — Recipe adapted from Straight Up Tasty by Adam Richman (Clarkson Potter, 2015)

Garden Vegetable Platter

We are apartment dwellers and don’t have a garden, but we’re always beguiled by the jewel-like colors of just picked produce at the Saturday farmer’s market. When vegetables are this fresh, they only need a quick dip in olive oil.

Ingredients

  • 12 small rainbow carrots, preferably with tops, scrubbed
  • 3 small heads fennel, ends and tough outer leaves trimmed
  • 2 bunches baby turnips (about 12) or 6 medium regular turnips
  • 2 or 3 bunches small red radishes with leaves
  • 2 scarlet turnips or 1 watermelon radish (optional), thinly sliced crosswise
  • Fresh extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Step 1

Trim the carrot tops, if using, to about 1/2 inch, and trim the root hairs, then cut the carrots in half lengthwise. Cut the fennel lengthwise into slender wedges. Set the vegetables in a large bowl of ice water for about 1 hour to crisp.

Step 2

Meanwhile, if using baby turnips, trim the tops to about 1/2 inch, then quarter the turnips; or cut regular turnips into slender wedges. Remove all but a few small leaves on each radish; swish the radishes in water to clean. Crisp the turnips and radishes in another bowl of ice water for about 45 minutes.

Step 3

Drain and dry the vegetables and arrange on a large platter. (Drape with damp paper towels if they’ll be standing before serving.) Serve with oil for dunking

Serves 8 — Recipe adapted from sunset.com

Gazpacho

Here’s another great recipe I picked up from chef Arantxa Lamas during my time in Spain. It’s keto-friendly, too—a plus in my book.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, each cored and sliced into eighths
  • 1 small onion, peeled and diced
  • 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
  • 1 clove of garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, or more to taste
  • Coarse salt (kosher or sea), to taste
  • Optional garnishes: Finely diced red or green bell pepper, red or white onion, or cucumber

Directions

Step 1

In a nonreactive mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, cucumber, bell pepper, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar. Stir to macerate the vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Step 2

Use an immersion blender to puree the gazpacho. Strain through a food mill. Taste, adding more salt or vinegar, if needed. Cover and chill until serving time. Serve in chilled bowls with your choice of garnishes and a few drops of olive oil.

Serves 4 — Recipe courtesy of chef Arantxa Lamas