My Marinated Olives are quickly and easily made and will be ideal served alone as a simple appetiser or as part of an antipasti selection. They are packed full of flavour, infused in a blend of warmed extra virgin olive oil, citrus peels, garlic, chilli and dried oregano. It could not be easier to prepare homemade marinated olives to enjoy.
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Why we love this recipe:
As with all the food which we prepare ourselves, we can use the ingredients of our choice. A bowl of olives is a great appetiser, but warm some good olive oil with flavour-boosting aromatics, herbs and spices in which to marinate them and you have a new level of deliciousness.
Some of the reasons I love these Marinated Olives are:
- It takes just minutes to prepare the olives.
- A simple, make-ahead appetiser is always welcome to reduce stress when entertaining.
- They are made with everyday ingredients which you may already have on hand.
- You can customise the ingredients in the marinade to suit your taste. If you don’t like something, leave it out. If you like them extra spicy, add more chilli. Make this your own.
- This is a versatile appetiser, suitable to serve with cocktails at a drinks party or equally at home at a backyard barbecue.
Ingredients in this recipe:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
Olives - I use a combination of Kalamata and Green Sicilian olives. Choose olives which you enjoy eating.
Oregano – I have used dried oregano, a popular addition to Mediterranean dishes.
Extra virgin olive oil – for the best flavour and nutritional benefits.
Garlic – fresh cloves.
Lemon and orange peel – add a great citrus flavour.
Long red chilli/pepper – the Cayenne chilli/pepper - add as much or as little as you like.
Step by step instructions:
- Add your olives and dried oregano to a bowl or jar.
- Cut the chilli in half lengthways, remove the seeds and membrane. Finely slice the chilli and use as much or as little as you like.
- Peel and finely slice the garlic.
- On a low heat, gently warm the olive oil, garlic, chilli and citrus peels in a small saucepan for 5 minutes.
- Top the olives with the warm olive oil mixture.
- Serve warm, or allow the flavours to infuse for a minimum of 4 hours.
Tips for success and FAQs:
To prevent bacteria and the potential growth of botulism in fresh ingredients, such as garlic, citrus peel or chilli, which are packed in oil, store the Marinated Olives in the refrigerator for no longer than four days. The olives and the oil should be consumed within that time.
A mix of black and green looks lovely in a bowl. I have used a combination of Kalamata and Sicilian green olives. Choose whichever you enjoy eating.
Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. The olive oil will solidify so you need to bring them to room temperature before serving. Make a batch that you can enjoy within this time. Fresh ingredients, such as chilli, citrus peel and garlic, when stored in oil, cannot safely be kept for a long time as they have the potential to develop bacteria that can cause botulism.
The olives are delicious when just warmed through the marinade, although their flavours do develop further after a few hours. You may also like to try our Roasted Olives or Baked Feta and Olives.
More delicious recipes for you to try:
Easy recipes like our Marinated Olives are always popular. Here are some more of our favourites for you to try:
- Roasted Capsicums
- Marinated Mozzarella Balls
- Cannellini Bean Dip
- Marinated Feta Cheese
- Oven Baked Beef Meatballs
- Herbed Bread Dipping Oil
- Marinated Parmesan
My Marinated Olives are a perfect appetiser to make when you are short on time, or just want something that tastes delicious. Serve with your favourite bread or toasts. Enjoy!
Alex xx
Marinated Olives
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (400 g) olives - I use a combination of Kalamata and Sicilian See Note 1
- 2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 cup (250 ml) extra virgin olive oil See Note 2
- 4 cloves garlic - peeled and cut in half
- 6 strips lemon peel
- 3 strips orange peel
- ½ long red cayenne chilli/pepper – finely sliced (seeds removed) – or more to taste See Note 3
Instructions
- Add your olives and dried oregano to a bowl or jar.
- Cut the chilli in half lengthways, remove the seeds and membrane. Finely slice the chilli and add as much or as little as you like.
- Peel and finely slice the garlic.
- On low heat, gently warm the olive oil, garlic, chilli and citrus peels in a small saucepan for 5 minutes.
- Top the olives with the warm olive oil mixture.
- Serve warm, or allow the flavours to infuse for a minimum of 4 hours.Enjoy the olives, along with the flavour-filled oil, with crusty bread.
- Use the olives and oil within 4 days. See the note in the blog post regarding safety precautions.
Notes
- Use a variety of olives for different tastes and to add colour to the dish. These olives have been cured - ie: purchased from the supermarket, not fresh off a tree.
- For the best flavour, we use extra virgin olive oil. Use the best quality olive oil that you have.
- Cayenne chillies are long, slender chillies/peppers. They are often mild in flavour, but the heat can vary. Add the amount of chilli according to your preference.
- Please note, the nutritional information is based on three cups of olives and includes the oil that the olives are marinated in. It does not include what the olives are served with. The nutritional information is an estimate only.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Rita Corica says
whenever you use olives for any recipe they must be washed in clean water firstand weighted down with a heavy dinner plate and washed house brick and covered with a lid or old blanket
the older recipes are more detailed if you can find them. an elderly italian(Sicilian) will have more detail
Alexandra Cook says
Hi Rita,
We don’t use fresh olives off the tree for this recipe, but the already cured olives from the supermarket, so they don’t require washing etc.
Kind regards, Alex
Lisa says
This recipe looks nice. I would like to make it a day ahead. What’s the best way to reheat this? Stovetop or microwave?
Alexandra says
Hi Lisa,
Stovetop over a low heat would work well - I would gently warm them through to brighten the flavours again after they have been refrigerated.
You could also try this recipe: Roasted Mediterranean Olives
Thanks! Alex
Lisa says
Alexandra - in terms of flavour packed recipes, would you suggested the marinated ones or the roasted ones?
Alexandra says
Hi Lisa! Both are flavour packed and delicious -
Perhaps give the marinated a try first - you could do half a batch following the recipe and half a batch roasted even? 🙂
Linda says
This was so easy to make! Served them along with some chunks of feta cheese and pita wedges at a cocktail party...there was nothing left! Thanks!
Alexandra says
Hi Linda, I am so pleased that you enjoyed the Marinated Olives; such a great idea to serve them with feta and pita wedges. 🙂
Freya says
I just wanted to say that I loved this recipe, it elevated the humble olive to something quite special and different to usual!
Alexandra says
I am so pleased you enjoyed this recipe, Freya - thank you so much for taking the time to let me know!