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Ask A Chef: Matty Kane’s Roasted Olives

By Ryan Sargent On

Matty Kane of Shelter Restaurant in Tofino, B.C., shares a recipe for an olive dish that’s perfect for a crowd.

Q: My family has just returned from a vacation in Tofino. We had dinner at Shelter Restaurant and everything was amazing, but we loved the Roasted Olives the most. My daughter and I really want to try making these at home. Could you get the chef’s recipe? — Rae, Burnaby, B.C.

A: Chef Matty Kane created his Roasted Olives as a light, snackable appetizer, and now it’s one of the most popular items on the menu. The olives have a salty note, then there’s sweetness from the honey, bitterness from the vinegar and even an umami taste from the fermented chili and peanuts. “The flavors in this dish are well-balanced, and it’s a perfect pairing with a couple of drinks,” says Matty.

Send your questions to [email protected].

Ingredients


Serves 46

  • 15 g chopped peanuts
  • 15 g fermented Chinese chili in oil (chili chow or chili crisp)
  • 15 g honey
  • 15 g olive oil
  • 15 g sherry vinegar
  • 4–6 slices focaccia or baguette
  • 240 g Castelvetrano olives
  • Olive oil, for serving

Directions

Make Sauce and Bread

  1. Toast peanuts in frying pan. Remove from heat and add chili crisp, honey, olive oil and sherry vinegar. Stir until combined and set aside.
  2. Toast bread using very hot grill, open flame of gas stove burner, oven broiler or top of conventional toaster. You want bread to be charred on outside and soft inside.

Roast Olives and Assemble

  1. Heat small nonstick frying pan, without any oil or butter in it. Strain olives and add to pan. Roll around over high heat, until a little browning and charring appears.
  2. Remove pan from heat and pour in sauce. It should come to a simmer and finish heating olives. Serve warm in small bowl or cast-iron pan. Tear up charred bread, drizzle extra olive oil on bread, and place around dish.

Serve

  1. To serve, spoons are suggested for gathering sauce and spreading it onto bread. Small oyster forks are recommended for spearing olives. Be sure to include a small bowl for pits.

Written By

Ryan Sargent

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  • Photographer Photography by Jill Nancy Photography (Matty’s portrait); Kyler Vos (olives)
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