There is a moment in every Greek taverna that reveals more about the quality of the house than the menu does: the bread arrives, next to it a small bowl of olive oil, oregano and perhaps a squeeze of lemon. If you like that oil neat, you order more. If you do not, you eat the bread dry.
That is exactly what the olive oil dip is: not a recipe with a cooking time, but a preparation that is ready in two minutes and still makes the difference between “bread with oil” and something guests ask about. Here are three variations — one for bread and raw vegetables, one for grilled food, one as a marinade. All three work with the same oil, but they differ in the intensity they can take.
Makes one small bowl of each (about 4 servings). 5 minutes of work, no cooking time.
| Amount | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| Variation 1 — Lemon & garlic (for bread) | |
| 120 ml | Extra virgin olive oil, fruity |
| 1 | Garlic clove |
| 1 | Organic lemon (zest and 1 tbsp juice) |
| 1/2 tsp | Salt (or fleur de sel) |
| Variation 2 — Herbs & oregano (for raw vegetables and grilled food) | |
| 120 ml | Extra virgin olive oil, medium-fruity |
| 1 tsp | Dried oregano |
| 1/2 tsp | Dried thyme |
| 1 tbsp | Flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped |
| 1 pinch | Chilli flakes (optional) |
| Variation 3 — Marinade (for feta, vegetables, chicken) | |
| 150 ml | Extra virgin olive oil, robust |
| 2 tbsp | Lemon juice |
| 2 | Garlic cloves, crushed |
| 2 tsp | Dried oregano |
| 1 tsp | Mustard (for binding) |
| — | Salt, black pepper |
Halve the garlic clove and rub the cut side around the base of the bowl — that way only the aroma stays behind, not the heat. Pour in the oil, add the lemon zest and salt and stir vigorously with a fork for 30 seconds, until the oil turns slightly cloudy. Add the juice only shortly before serving, otherwise the mixture separates.
Stir the oregano and thyme into the oil and leave to infuse for 10 minutes — dried herbs need that time, otherwise you only taste the oil. Fold in the parsley only afterwards, it should stay green. A pinch of chilli flakes makes it hot without the herbs disappearing.
Stir the mustard, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper together, then work in the oil in a thin stream until the mixture comes together. This variation needs a more robust oil, otherwise the lemon and mustard cover everything.
Serve all three variations at room temperature, never straight from the fridge — cold olive oil loses almost all of its aroma. With bread, which may well be toasted, feta, tomatoes, cucumber, radishes. Pour variation 3 over feta as well and leave it for 20 minutes before the oven comes into play.
With a dip there is nothing to hide the oil: no cooking, no sauce, no sugar. You taste the fruit, the bitterness, the pungent finish at the back of your throat — all of it. That is why this is the most honest recipe on the site and at the same time the most sensitive one: an oil that still works for frying can disappoint when served neat.
For variations 1 and 2 we recommend a fruity oil from an early harvest, such as our 500 ml bottle of Koroneiki — here the bitterness is not a flaw, but the reason the dip tastes of more than fat. For the marinade it can be more robust: the 1-litre bottle.
Variations 1 and 2 keep for 5 days in the fridge; leave them at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving. Variation 3 with fresh garlic 3 days; without garlic and in a sterilised jar up to 2 weeks. Never keep a dip with fresh herbs for longer than a week.
Because lemon juice and oil will not stay together without a binder. Either stir it briefly before serving or — as in variation 3 — use a teaspoon of mustard as an emulsifier.
Fruity and cold-pressed, with a bitterness you like. A mild oil tastes of nothing when served neat, a very pungent one burns.
Yes, gently warmed with warm bread — but not above 40 °C, beyond that the oil loses its aroma.
Olive oil is a food, not a medicine. A tablespoon of it neat is a decent portion of fat — good, but not unlimited, especially when there is bread alongside.
