El Bulli Olive Recipe
spherical castelvetrano "olives". citadel cornichon gin
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Ingredients
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Olive Spheres
Citadel Cornichon Gin Liquid and Garnish
Finishing & Service
Method
Olive Spheres
- 1
Prepare alginate solution
In a blender or bowl, combine 600 ml cold water with 6 g sodium alginate. Blend on low to medium for 1–2 minutes until fully hydrated and no lumps remain. Let rest in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (ideally 1 hour) to remove air bubbles.
- 2
Prepare calcium bath
Dissolve 4 g calcium chloride and 4 g fine salt into 800 ml cool water in a deep bowl. Stir until fully dissolved. This will be your gelling bath.
- 3
Rinse and prepare olives
Rinse pitted Castelvetrano olives under cold water to remove excess brine. Pat dry. If whole olives are too large to form attractive spheres, halve or slightly compress to about 2–2.5 cm diameter.
- 4
Encapsulate olives
Using a slotted spoon, gently lower each olive into the alginate bath for 10–20 seconds to coat, then lift and allow excess alginate to drip off for 5–10 seconds. Immediately transfer the coated olive into the calcium bath and leave for 60–90 seconds to set. Transfer to a bowl of cold water to stop gelling and rinse off residual calcium. Repeat until all olives are coated and set.
- 5
Store spheres
Keep finished olive spheres in a bowl of fresh cold water in refrigerator for up to 4–6 hours. For best texture, serve the same day.
Citadel Cornichon Gin Liquid and Garnish
- 6
Infuse cornichon with gin
Coarsely chop 80 g cornichons. In a small jar, combine chopped cornichons, 60 ml gin, 30 ml pickle brine and 5 g sugar. Stir to dissolve sugar. Seal and let macerate in refrigerator for at least 1 hour (preferably 3 hours) to meld flavors. Strain through a fine mesh and reserve both infused gin-pickle liquid and chopped cornichon bits separately.
- 7
Brighten liquid
Stir the reserved infused liquid and taste. Add 1 tsp lemon zest and adjust sweetness or acidity with a few drops of pickle brine or a pinch more sugar if needed. Chill until service.
- 8
Prepare garnish
If using tarragon and microgreens, wash and spin dry. Keep small sprigs ready for plating. Reserve a few of the chopped cornichon bits to nestle beside spheres as texture contrast.
Finishing & Service
- 9
Plate the tapas
On a shallow tasting spoon or small plate, place 2–3 olive spheres. Drizzle 3–5 ml of the chilled citadel cornichon gin liquid around the spheres (do not flood). Spoon a few of the chopped cornichon bits beside each sphere for crunch.
- 10
Finish with oil & seasoning
Using a small spoon, add a light drizzle (about 5 ml) of high-quality olive oil over each sphere or across the plate. Sprinkle a light pinch of sea salt flakes and a small grind of cracked black pepper over the spheres.
- 11
Garnish and serve
Top each plate with 1–2 small tarragon leaves and one microgreen or chervil sprig. Serve immediately so the sphere membrane remains delicate and the interior olive flavor reads with the gin-pickle accent.