Crespo

Crespo is an olive label, and the line we stock is pitted black olives in brine. Black olives of this type are mellow and soft, with a gentle saltiness, quite different from the sharper, firmer taste of green olives. Pitted olives save time in the kitchen, because they can go straight from the tin onto a board.

They sit in our olives and gherkins collection, within the pickles, pastes and sauces department. That collection brings together the Mediterranean and European preserves that many households keep next to their Indian pickles, and it is close to cooking sauces for pasta and stir fry nights.

Sliced black olives are the classic pizza topping, from a simple margherita to a loaded vegetarian, and they are just as useful in pasta puttanesca, a tuna and tomato pasta bake or a tray of roasted vegetables. In salads they pair with feta, cucumber and tomato in a Greek salad, or with egg and potato in a niçoise style plate. Chopped finely with garlic, capers and olive oil, they make a quick tapenade for toast or crackers. Many families also add them to wraps, sandwiches and Indo Mediterranean fusion dishes such as olive and paneer pizza or masala pasta.

Once opened, move any unused olives into a clean jar, cover them with the brine and keep them in the fridge, where they stay good for a week or two. Do not leave them in the open tin. A quick rinse under the tap takes away some of the salt if you are adding them to a delicate dish. To compare Crespo with other preserves, browse the full olives and gherkins range or our olive oil shelf.