These Italian marinated olives are steeped in an herb and garlic-infused olive oil marinade with chili flakes and lemon zest to make an easy appetizer for every party.
This recipe is brought to you by DeLallo Foods
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Nothing says “welcome to the party” than a finger-food-picking bowl of olives to nibble on. Plump and flavorful, these marinated olives are fast to make and enjoyed on-the-fly or refrigerated for weeks to be eaten when the tangy cravings strike. Similar to the savory start of my gnocchi pomodoro recipe, fresh herbs, garlic, lemon peel, and red pepper flakes are warmed in olive oil, infusing their aromatic oils before pouring over the punchy mixed olives. One of my favorite ways to eat these tangy olives on top of sourdough toast slathered with ricotta cheese or mashed feta. They’re also the ideal addition to charcuterie boards or antipasto platters or kept stashed in the fridge to add to easy pasta salads for lunch or dinner.
The Best Olives for Marinated Olives
As one of the biggest importers of Mediterranean olives, DeLallo Foods varieties are some of the most flavorful olives around. Naturally cured and brined, DeLallo’s gourmet imported olives add tang to any dish, and are the ultimate pop-in-your-mouth snack, too. For this marinated olives recipe, I use a colorful combination of two of my favorite DeLallo olive varieties:
- Mild and plump, Delallo’s bright green Sicilian Castelvetrano olives are famous for their irresistible buttery-sweet flavor and creamy, meaty texture.
- DeLallo’s jarred classic Greek calamata olives (kalamata olives) have the tangy, tart, meaty bite that Mediterranean olives are most commonly known for.
What’s In Marinated Olives
In choosing olives for this recipe, look for brine-packed olives. Don’t use oil-packed olives as they are typically already flavored. I choose pitted olives because they’re easier to eat (especially in salads), but olives with the pit lend even more flavor.
- DeLallo Calamata olives or Castelvetrano olives, or a combination of the two.
- DeLallo extra virgin olive oil
- Garlic cloves
- Lemon peel
- Red chiles (fresh or use dried chile flakes)
- Fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, oregano, bay leaf, or marjoram
- Kosher salt
How to Make Marinated Olives in Olive Oil Brine
- Choose a jar or airtight container with a fitted lid. This recipe fills 1 quart jar, or about 4 cups. I like the looks of these Weck jars, or a basic quart Mason jar with a lid works great too.
- Drain and rinse the jarred olives, and set aside.
- Heat the oil, smashed garlic, lemon rind, chile flakes, and half of the fresh herbs in a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Swirl the herbs and garlic in the oil for 3-4 minutes until warm and fragrant.
- Pour the warm oil over the olives. Layer the olives in the jar with the garlic and the fresh and steeped herbs. Pour the flavored oil over the olives.
- Marinate the olives for at least 30 minutes. This quick appetizer can be served on the fly. The olives taste more flavorful the longer they sit. Refrigerate overnight, or for a few days, and they’ll taste even better.
How Long Do Marinated Olives Last?
These olives get better and better the longer they soak in the flavorful infused oil. Marinated olives last in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks.
Additions and Substitutions
- Use any variety of herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano, or parsley
- Instead of lemon peel, give orange zest or orange peel a try
- For more tang, add 1-2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar to the mix
Storage Tips
Store marinated olives in an airtight container for up to 1 month in the refrigerator.
What to Serve With Marinated OIives
- Slather toasted bread with ricotta cheese. Top with marinated olives and drizzle with the oil.
- Add to any cheese board or snack bowl
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If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Marinated Olives
Ingredients
- 1 5.3 ounce jar DeLallo Castelvetrano olives
- 1 5.3 ounce jar DeLallo Calamata olives
- 1 cup DeLallo extra virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic , peeled and smashed
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 6-8 black peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon red chile flakes
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Drain the olives in a colander and rinse in cool water. Set aside to drain.
- In a medium skillet, add the oil, smashed garlic cloves, half of the fresh herbs (reserve the rest for packing with the olives), lemon zest, red chile flakes, and black peppercorns. Bring to medium heat and cook for 3-4 minutes, swirling the herbs in the oil, until the garlic is fragrant and the herbs sizzle. Remove from the heat, season with the kosher salt, and set aside.
- In a quart jar with a fitted lid, layer the olives with the garlic, and cooked and reserved fresh herbs. Pour the flavored oil over the olives. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The olives taste better the longer they sit in the flavored oil, up to 3 days before serving.
Nutrition
More Recipes With Olives
- Sautéed Chicken with Olives, Capers and Lemons
- Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- Pasta Puttanesca
- The BEST Tuna Noodle Casserole from Scratch
- Mediterranean Orzo Salad
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This recipe is sponsored by DeLallo Foods. As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There are affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
Funday Holidays
Olive is really healthy very high in vitamin E and other powerful antioxidants.
Patty
Made these for a get-together and before I knew it, they were gone. I’ve been asked for the recipe several times. This recipe is a keeper !!