Marinated olives are a delicious and easy to make appetizer that is the perfect addition to your next party or get together!
I’ve always been a sucker for olives. It doesn’t matter if it’s a can of those generic “black olives” or more boujee olives like Castelvertrano, Kalamata, and Niçoise. I’ll wolf them down with ease.
But what if I told you there was a simple way to make any olive better?
Because there is, It’s called marinated olives.
Trust me, If you’ve never made some for yourself before you’re going to love them. Not only is it an incredibly easy and straightforward process. But It also allows you to infuse olives with all sorts of flavors from fresh herbs, to garlic, and even citrus. And best of all it requires no cooking and is essentially foolproof, meaning anyone can make them.
So if you love olives like I do then you have to give this a try!
How to Make Marinated Olives
Making your own marinated olives couldn’t be easier. And it really comes down to three simple steps.
- You place your olives, along with whatever other ingredients you want to include in a container.
- Then you just pour enough olive oil over everything until they are all submerged.
- And after a bit of time, the olives take on the flavor of those other ingredients.
Honestly, that’s all there is to it!
Variations of this Recipe
Another thing I love about marinated olives is the fact that you can customize them any way you want.
For example
- Herbs: Instead of using rosemary and oregano you can swap them out with other types of herbs like thyme, tarragon, parsley, or marjoram.
- Spices: Sometimes people add additional spices to the marinade like coriander seeds for a floral aroma, or fennel seeds are a bit of anise flavor.
- Acidity: If you want a bit of tang you can add in a splash (1 to 2 tablespoons) of vinegar.
- Ethnic alternatives: Today’s recipe is roughly based on Italian style marination. But there is also Spanish style which includes orange peel and smoked paprika. And Persian style that incorporates walnuts, mint, and pomegranate molasses into the marinade.
So once you’ve mastered this recipe feel free to play around with the ingredients to make it your own!
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- What type of olives should you use in this recipe? Well, really any type will work. However, I think it’s best if you keep it simple and go with the varieties you like the most. Also while you can use unpitted olives I highly recommend that you go with ones that are pitted. Because in my experience, they always seem to take on more of the flavor of the marinade compared to the unpitted ones.
- How long will these marinated olives last? Generally, they will last at least 1 month if properly stored in your fridge, but they can possibly still be good for up to 3 months. Just make sure to check them before you eat them if they are stored for longer than 1 month. And if they show any sign of mold toss them out!
Other Dishes Featuring Olives
Marinated Olives Recipe
Total time: 10 minutes
Servings: 1 pound
Ingredients
1 Lb of mixed olives (like kalamata, castelverano, niciose)
3 to 4 Cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
1 Teaspoon of dried oregano
2 to 3 Sprigs of fresh rosemary, can sub with 1 teaspoon of dried
1 Bay leaf, broken into pieces
2 to 3 peels from a lemon
8 to 10 Black peppercorns
1 Teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 Cup of extra virgin olive oil, more or less depending on what’s needed
Instructions
- Place your olives in a strainer and wash them under cold water. Then let them drain until they are fairly dry.
- Assemble everything for marination: Get out a quart/32oz/4cup sized container that can be sealed, like a mason jar. Then layer roughly a ⅓ of the olives along with roughly ⅓ of the garlic, herbs, lemon peel, black pepper, and chili flakes.
Continue layering these ingredients until they are all in the container. Finally, slowly pour the extra virgin olive oil over everything until all of the olives are submerged in it.
You might not need the full cup, or possibly more than a cup of olive oil depending on the container you are using. Just use your best judgment.
- Seal the container and place it in your fridge for at least 2 days so that the olives can take on the flavor of the marination ingredients.
- Take your marinated olives out of your fridge roughly an hour or two before serving so that the extra virgin olive oil can return to a liquid form. Then use them any way that you want and enjoy!
Marinated Olives Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Lb of mixed olives like kalamata, castelverano, niciose
- 3 to 4 Cloves of garlic peeled and sliced
- 1 Teaspoon of dried oregano
- 2 to 3 Sprigs of fresh rosemary can sub with 1 teaspoon of dried
- 1 Bay leaf broken into pieces
- 2 to 3 peels from a lemon
- 8 to 10 Black peppercorns
- 1 Teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes optional
- 1 Cup of extra virgin olive oil more or less depending on what’s needed
Instructions
- Place your olives in a strainer and wash them under cold water. Then let them drain until they are fairly dry.
- Assemble everything for marination: Get out a quart/32oz/4cup sized container that can be sealed, like a mason jar. Then layer roughly a ⅓ of the olives along with roughly ⅓ of the garlic, herbs, lemon peel, black pepper, and chili flakes. Continue layering these ingredients until they are all in the container. Finally, slowly pour the extra virgin olive oil over everything until all of the olives are submerged in it. You might not need the full cup, or possibly more than a cup of olive oil depending on the container you are using. Just use your best judgment.
- Seal the container and place it in your fridge for at least 2 days so that the olives can take on the flavor of the marination ingredients.
- Take your marinated olives out of your fridge roughly an hour or two before serving so that the extra virgin olive oil can return to a liquid form. Then use them any way that you want and enjoy!
This is really simple, but a good reminder that appetizers like this can really set the mood for a delicious meal.
It’s all about setting the mood my dude!