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Italian Salsa with Tomatoes, Capers, and Olives

June 11, 2017 By justalittlebitofbacon Leave a Comment

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Italian salsa is a great, AND EASY, recipe which combines juicy tomatoes, salty capers, black olives, and fresh basil into the Italian style version of salsa fresca! I love it as a condiment for grilled meats, a topping for bruschetta, or as a dip for pita chips.

This Italian salsa is full of Italian flavors like fresh tomatoes, capers, black olives, and basil! It's great on grilled meats, bruschetta, or as a dip with chips. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

I dearly love Mexican salsa fresca and put it on the table frequently, especially as the weather warms up and local tomatoes are available. Whenever I have fresh tomatoes and some Mexican or Tex-Mex on the menu, I’m slicing up tomatoes and squeezing limes.

But why should Mexican cuisine get all the fun?

Salsa fresca is adaptable to all sorts of flavors and is such a healthy way to add flavor to dinner.

Case in point – this Italian salsa! I’ve been making this recipe for many years and we all love it here, so I know I’ll be making it for many more. In fact it’s such a favorite here that I’m surprised I didn’t share it already. But I guess it’s easy not to notice the daily workhorse recipes or think, well that’s too simple. 🙂 However, I have a recipe for grilled Tuscan steak coming up and this is the perfect condiment for it, so this was the time for my Italian salsa to get its closeup.

This Italian salsa is full of Italian flavors like fresh tomatoes, capers, black olives, and basil! It's great on grilled meats, bruschetta, or as a dip with chips. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

When you look at the ingredients and how I make it, you’ll see connections to my Pasta with Raw Tomato Sauce and the sauce I serve with my Grilled Breaded Chicken Breast. I mean obviously they are all uncooked tomato sauces, so they would be connected, but they are also all in the Italian/Italian-American tradition, so olives, capers, olive oil, basil, garlic are going to feature in different ways.

I suppose that’s why making this salsa is so natural for me! These are all flavors and all ingredients I have in my house on a daily basis. Only the tomatoes are something I’d maybe have to specifically put on my grocery list.

And these days I usually have tomatoes in the house even in the winter, if only so that I have some vegetable in hand which my daughter will eat. Don’t think that being able to cook means my 12-year-old appreciates most of my cooking! Someday I’m sure she will, but recently she has been enjoying the independence which comes with being able to make herself a few simple dishes, and tomatoes are always on the menu for her.

This Italian salsa is full of Italian flavors like fresh tomatoes, capers, black olives, and basil! It's great on grilled meats, bruschetta, or as a dip with chips. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

The salsa itself is quite simple.

  • Fresh tomatoes seeded and finely chopped.
  • Fresh basil, thinly cut.
  • Kalamata olives, roughly chopped.
  • A spoonful or two of capers.
  • Some red onion, finely chopped.
  • Olive oil, lemon juice, a healthy sprinkle of kosher salt, and a grind of pepper.

That’s it! Supermarket tomatoes will do during the cold months of the year, but local tomatoes make this salsa sing, so use them when you have them.

– Happy Eating, Annemarie

This Italian salsa is full of Italian flavors like fresh tomatoes, capers, black olives, and basil! It's great on grilled meats, bruschetta, or as a dip with chips. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

This Italian salsa is full of Italian flavors like fresh tomatoes, capers, black olives, and basil! It's great on grilled meats, bruschetta, or as a dip with chips. | justalittlebitofbacon.com
Print Recipe

Italian Salsa with Tomatoes, Capers, and Olives

This Italian salsa is full of Italian flavors like fresh tomatoes, capers, black olives, and basil! It's great on grilled meats, bruschetta, or as a nibble with chips.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Total Time15 minutes mins
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 100kcal
Author: Just a Little Bit of Bacon

Ingredients

  • 3 medium tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch dice
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped kalamata olives
  • 2 tbsp capers
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
  • 2 tbsp thinly sliced basil
  • 1 small clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • kosher salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Mix together all ingredients in a large bowl. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
This Italian salsa is full of Italian flavors like fresh tomatoes, capers, black olives, and basil! It's great on grilled meats, bruschetta, or as a dip with chips. | justalittlebitofbacon.com
This Italian salsa is full of Italian flavors like fresh tomatoes, capers, black olives, and basil! It's great on grilled meats, bruschetta, or as a dip with chips. | justalittlebitofbacon.com

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Filed Under: 10 ingredients or less, 15 minutes or less, gluten free, italian antipasti, italian recipes, recipe, sauces and condiments, savory bites, summer, vegan, vegetable dishes, vegetarian Tagged With: basil, black olives, onions, tomatoes

« Summertime Blueberry Sangria
Grilled Tuscan Steak (Bistecca alla Fiorentina) »

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Hello, I’m Annemarie

Welcome to my kitchen! I’m a Italian-American girl who loves fresh foods, local ingredients, and all sorts of comfort foods. Here you will find Mediterranean flavors and recipes from a New England perspective.

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