What is the mark of a good tapenada?

Question

After watching Alton Brown make tapenada on the Food Network, I convinced my wife to make some. We used a recipe similar to:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_33437,00.html

I don't remember where we got our current recipe, but it's pretty similar.

But, as someone who's never had tapenada, I don't know if this batch is good. I enjoy it, which is important.

Some notes about this batch:
It's a deep purple that is almost black. We like kalamata olives, so that is the majority of the olives.
It is very much a coarse paste. It can be spread on bread or crackers.
It is very salty. That's expected for olives, anchovy, and capers, but this is really salty. You want a drink after having a cracker with this tapenada.

What are some qualities of a good tapenada?

Answer 1

I think you better send that batch over to me for examination....yum. I think the best tapenada is so tasty you are tempted to skip the cracker and go right in with a fork. If it is really salty try spreading it on some good french bread-that should do the trick.