Portuguese Green Olive Dip

For this Portuguese green olive dip, olives are stirred into a whipped eggless ‘mayonnaise’ made with milk, oil, anchovies, garlic, and white pepper.

A bowl with creamy green olive dip behind five slices of baguette with dip on one

When I visited A Bolota, a lovely restaurant perched on the sweeping plains of the eastern Alentejo, this dip, called patê de azeitonas verdes, was brought to our table. As I nattered away with friends, I dipped, spread, and nibbled, until I realized I alone had eaten all of it. Later, when I became friendly with the cook, Ilda Vinagre, I watched her make it and was flummoxed when she whipped up its silky base: milk “mayonnaise”—whole milk whirred into a smooth consistency with the addition of vegetable oil. I serve this as a dip with a platter of crudités, alongside crackers or bread, or, sometimes, as a topping for grilled fish.–David Leite

Atenção [Editor’s Note: That means “attention”)

Don’t make this in a food processor. The bowls of most processors are too large to allow the scant amount of ingredients to whip up to the right consistency. A small narrow blender or a mini chop or handheld blender works best.

Portuguese Green Olive Dip

A bowl with creamy green olive dip behind five slices of baguette with dip on one
For this Portuguese green olive dip, olives are stirred into a whipped eggless ‘mayonnaise’ made with milk, oil, anchovies, garlic, and white pepper.

Prep 5 minutes
Total 5 minutes
Appetizers
Portuguese
12 servings | 1 1/2 cups
140 kcal
5 / 7 votes
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Equipment

  • A small mini chop or hand blender

Ingredients 

  • 1/3 cup whole milk plus more if needed
  • 6 oil-packed anchovy filets
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • Leaves and tender stems of 6 cilantro sprigs
  • Pinch of freshly ground white pepper
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 2/3 cup pitted green olives such as Manzanilla rinsed quickly if particularly salty, roughly chopped

Directions
 

  • In a blender, pulse to combine the 1/3 cup milk, anchovies, garlic, 2/3 of the cilantro, and the pepper.
  • With the motor running, pour the oil in what the Portuguese call a fio, or fine thread. Keep whirring until the oil is incorporated and the mixture thickens, 30 seconds to 1 1/2 minutes, depending on your equipment.
  • Scrape the dip into a bowl and stir in the olives. Mince the remaining cilantro, sprinkle on top, and serve. If the dip thickens, you can always simply stir in a tablespoon or two of milk.
Print RecipeBuy the The New Portuguese Table cookbook

Want it? Click it.

Show Nutrition

Serving: 2tablespoonsCalories: 140kcal (7%)Carbohydrates: 1gProtein: 1g (2%)Fat: 15g (23%)Saturated Fat: 2g (13%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 3mg (1%)Sodium: 193mg (8%)Potassium: 30mg (1%)Fiber: 0.3g (1%)Sugar: 0.4gVitamin A: 109IU (2%)Vitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 18mg (2%)Iron: 0.2mg (1%)

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Originally published December 29, 2020

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Comments

  1. We’re attending a dinner focused on Portuguese dishes…We were assigned a Portuguese green olive dip. I searched online and found yours… but i don’t see any indication regarding advance preparation. Can it be made 2-3 days in advance?

  2. What would you think of the recipe with natural green olives? Should salt be added to the blend? Started this recipe today (Friday) for Sunday, I still have time to buy the saltier olives…

  3. Made this and it was heaven. We ate it over crispy potatoes and schmeared on gluten-free bread I’d baked for the neighbor (because gluten-free bread definitely needs something). The neighbor also happens to be allergic to eggs, so I’m pretty much a hero after offering this up. We’ll definitely continue to make this and play with new combinations. Thank you!

    1. Hi CJ. I’d say no, because I don’t think they would melt the way anchovies do, and they would give it a different flavor. That being said, I think the sauce would be great over grilled sardines!

  4. I heard you describe this recipe on the Splendid Table earlier today. I wish you’d posted a few more of the variations like the cilantro & ginger. I remember you saying something about sriracha…I’m going to play with some variations this evening. Thanks for the hint.

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