In Sicily, good olive oil is rarely hidden in the pan. It is poured raw, generously, at the very end – so that you can taste its fruitiness and its peppery finish. Here are five simple dishes from the island where the oil is the star. Each serves four.
1. Pane cunzato – “dressed bread”
The classic snack of western Sicily, especially around Trapani and San Vito Lo Capo.
- 1 large rustic loaf (or 4 thick slices of country bread)
- 4 ripe tomatoes, sliced
- 8 anchovy fillets in oil
- 80 g pecorino or caciocavallo, sliced
- dried oregano, sea salt, pepper
- 4–5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Cut the bread open, drizzle both sides generously with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and oregano. Fill with tomato, anchovies and cheese, finish with another drizzle of oil and press the bread closed for a few minutes before cutting.
2. Orange and fennel salad
A winter salad that shows off a fruity, peppery oil.
- 3 oranges (blood oranges if possible)
- 1 fennel bulb
- ½ red onion
- a handful of black olives
- sea salt, pepper, 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Peel the oranges with a knife and slice them into rounds. Slice the fennel and onion very thinly. Arrange everything on a plate with the olives, season with salt and pepper, and pour the olive oil over just before serving.
3. Pesto alla trapanese
Sicily’s raw pesto, made with tomatoes and almonds instead of pine nuts – traditionally served with busiate pasta.
- 400 g ripe cherry tomatoes
- 60 g peeled almonds
- 1 large bunch of basil
- 1 garlic clove
- 40 g grated pecorino
- 100 ml extra virgin olive oil, salt
- 400 g pasta (busiate, trofie or spaghetti)
Lightly toast the almonds in a dry pan, then crush them with the garlic and a pinch of salt. Add the basil and the tomatoes and blend or pound into a coarse sauce. Stir in the pecorino and the olive oil. Toss with the hot drained pasta – no cooking needed for the sauce.
4. Salmoriglio
A lemon, oil and oregano sauce brushed onto grilled fish, swordfish or meat.
- 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, a little chopped parsley
- salt, 2 tablespoons hot water
Whisk the lemon juice with the hot water and salt, then slowly whisk in the olive oil until the sauce emulsifies. Add the garlic, oregano and parsley. Brush over fish or meat straight from the grill and serve the rest on the side.
5. Insalata pantesca
A summer salad from the island of Pantelleria – the potatoes are boiled, but the dressing is all raw oil.
- 600 g waxy potatoes
- 4 ripe tomatoes
- 1 red onion
- 2 tablespoons capers (rinsed)
- a handful of black or green olives
- dried oregano, salt, 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Boil the potatoes in their skins, peel and cut them into chunks while still warm. Add the tomatoes in wedges, the sliced onion, capers and olives. Season with salt and oregano, pour over the olive oil and let it rest for 15 minutes so the potatoes soak up the flavours.
Which oil for which dish?
For bread, salads and pesto, choose an oil with character: our Blend of Biancolilla, Nocellara and Cerasuola is fruity, balanced and slightly peppery, with notes of artichoke, green tomato and almond. For fish, salmoriglio or burrata, our organic Biancolilla is softer and rounder. Can’t choose? Our Discovery case contains three bottles of each.
