The little germ of an idea was flitting around in my brain since the first eighty degree day we had this year… I wanted to do a Greek salsa. I knew I wanted it to have lemon juice, feta cheese and kalamata olives. Not just any kalamata olives, mind you, I wanted garlic stuffed kalamata olives.
I have a thing for garlic stuffed kalamata olives. And by a thing, I mean a full-fledged dependency. If these things weren’t $7.99 a pound, I’d slurp them up all day every day and have water retention so severe my ankles would be the same size as my hips which are NOT tiny. Phew.
Sigh.
There is added insurance against my overdosing on the olives in that the closest place to buy them is a forty five minute drive in either direction. I shop at the place about once every month and drive to the store with eager anticipation. I scoop as much into the little container as I can while still being able to fix the lid in place, ask the clerk to double bag it and tie the top because that luscious marinating oil has a tendency to leak. Okay. I also have her double bag it and tie the top because it keeps me from eating them all before I get home.
Once home, I cram the bagged container into the back of the fridge in a vain attempt to hide them from myself and everyone else because I am not the only one here obsessed with the little gems.
I then sit and plot the ways that I’m going to eek them out. The idea for the Greek salsa was near the top of the list for months, but kept getting pushed back when someone or another discovered my hiding spot and made the olives disappear in a feeding frenzy. Alright. It was me. I can’t help myself.
I told you I love those things.
The last time I went to the store, they had BIG containers. It was a happy, happy day. I was able to fill the big container with enough to snack on AND use in recipes.
We snacked, we put them on pizzas (our second favourite thing to do with them after snacking), we finally made this salsa. It was worth the wait.
This is happy food, friends. Fresh, crunchy, flavourful, and filling without being heavy, this Greek inspired salsa is full of cucumbers, fire roasted peppers, red onions, garlic stuffed kalamata olives, crumbled feta, lemon and chopped parsley. I dipped it up with pita chips and I served it as a salad alongside grilled fish. It made me want to yell Opa! and smash plates*. I made batch after batch of this salsa until the olives ran out. It was so good.
*At least it made me want to smash the plates I have that I don’t like. I’ve been gunning to get rid of that Correlle for years.
Here’s the beauty of the recipe, though. While it is most wonderfully suited to summer, it can be made year ’round. I imagine this will fill in some mid-winter cravings for fresh food for me. It’s just that kind of dish.
I know those garlic stuffed kalamatas can be hard to find, so if you can’t lay your hands on them, simply use pitted kalamatas and add a large clove of garlic, peeled and minced, to the recipe.
OPA!!
Greek Salsa
Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 seedless cucumber also known as an English cucumber, diced finely
- 1 jarred fire roasted red pepper or a freshly roasted pepper, peeled and seeded, diced finely
- 1- inch thick slice from a red onion minced finely
- 1/2 cup garlic stuffed kalamata olives coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup feta crumbles
- 1/4 cup packed, flat leaf or curly parsley leaves
- 1 garlic clove peeled and minced or pressed
- the juice and zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Finely mince the parsley leaves and add to a mixing bowl with the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate, tightly covered, or serve immediately with pita chips or alongside grilled chicken or fish.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Reader's Thoughts...
Robby says
I’m thinking this would be divine mixed with chopped Romaine for a new take on Greek salad. It seems like it would be okay made 2 days in advance for a luncheon. Any thoughts on that?
Rebecca says
I think that sounds divine! I would, however, not mix it with the lettuce until you’re about to serve it. The acid in the lemon would likely cause the lettuce to wilt. The salsa could be made a day or two in advance, though. That being said, I wouldn’t mix the feta in until closer to serving time!
Mary A says
I made this tonight and served it over chopped romaine for a chopped greek salad. Husband was very happy. VERY happy. Thank you!
Amy says
Wow. This was possibly one of the best things ever – my mouth had a hard time convincing my brain that it was even GOOD FOR ME! I accidentally forgot the parsley, but it didn’t seem to matter. Three of us ate the entire first batch (oops.), and then I made another batch just for myself the next day. Shameful, but divine! I really thought it might need some jazzing up but it didn’t! The 2nd time I didn’t have another lemon to zest so I just used regular lemon juice from the bottle, and it was STILL delish! Thanks so much for an easy, fast, not evilly bad for me recipe that also uses things I can pick from my garden (but I’m pretty sure it’ll be just as good with grocery store cucumbers this winter).
Angela @ AnotherBitePlease says
My husband is going to love this!!!!!
Minnie(@thelady8home) says
Lovely recipe!! Sounds and looks so tasty.
Michelle W says
I usually make a Greek layered dip like the old standby 7 layer dip, but I think I’ll mix it up next time and make this. With my homemade pita chips I’m sure it will be a winner!
Thanks for the great recipes 🙂
Judy@Lifeonthefoodchain says
This made me laugh out loud…not the recipe, the part about swollen ankles– (olives are my downfall, too, ate a whole jar of oil-cured when I was 4 years old in 10 minutes). Now i’ll be hunting for those garlic stuffed ones. And you could, if you try hard, break a Corelle plate …if you have a tile floor to drop it on, AND if it’s full of just-baked fragile cookies.
Seriously, I need to make this to serve over grilled fish before the weather turns cool.
Amber says
Oh boy, this looks delicious!! I’ll have to make some ASAP… and good luck smashing those Corelle plates. they NEVER break!!
Rebecca says
Oh the plates never break, but the bowls? They smash SUPER easily when full of soup and dropped from waist height. Sigh. 🙂
Heather @ Heather's Dish says
i have the same issue with the dishware that we have that i HATE! i can’t seem to get the plates to break (ahem…not that i’m trying…ahem) but the bowls? i think i have like 3 left out of the initial 12…
bridget {bake at 350} says
A. I love that I can now hear your voice as I read your posts. ♥
B. Garlic-stuffed Kalamata Olives? Where have they been all my life?
C. I am SO making this! Like ASAP. Pronto. Immediately.
Rebecca says
How did I not realize you were a fellow garlic fan? Faaaaaaaaaaan. (I’m breathing garlic breath toward Texas.) ♥ As to where they’ve been all your life? Mainly I’ve been eating them. 🙂