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These easy marinated olives are a great addition to an antipasto platter or as a simple and delicious appetizer. Made with basic herbs and spices, they are ready to eat in 5 minutes and it couldn’t be easier!
There’s no simpler way to impress your guests than with an elegant antipasto spread. These marinated olives are a great addition along with meats, cheeses, fruit and vegetables. Pick up your favourites from a deli and whip up these quick marinated olives for the easiest yet incredibly delicious appetizer.
I first had these marinated olives during the summer when I was visiting my boyfriend’s family. His sister quickly whipped them up as a little nibble to go with drinks and they were so delicious!
Olives are a popular aperitivo (appetizer) in Italy and you can find all sorts of delicious, marinated kinds behind the deli counters in supermarkets or little family run stores.
And although incredibly delicious they can end up being quite costly especially after shelling out for the irresistible cheeses and thinly sliced prosciutto.
The thing is it’s SO easy to make your own gourmet marinated olives and it literally takes 5 minutes. What’s better is that you can tweak it with your favourite herbs, spices and citrus flavours to make your very own favourite olives.
They are great as they are along with cocktails or if you’re going all out they make a perfect addition to an antipasto platter with some cheeses, cold cuts, fresh fruit and marinated vegetables.
How To Make Marinated Olives – Step By Step
Put the lemon zest, fennel seeds, chilli flakes (red pepper flakes), garlic, dried oregano and pepper in a mixing bowl. This is where you can choose your own flavourings, try different chopped fresh and dried herbs and spices.
Finely chop some parsley and add it to the bowl with some olive oil.
Drain the jarred olives (I prefer unpitted olives they have so much more flavour) and add them to the marinade. Toss to combine the olives in the marinade until they are thoroughly coated and serve.
Tip: Jarred olives can already be quite salty so I don’t add any additional seasoning. Taste one once you have drained them, they probably won’t need any additional salt.
Enjoy, Oh, and I hope you have a wonderful, happy New Year wherever you are!
More Easy Appetizers To Try;
- Bagna Cauda recipe (Anchovy, Garlic & Butter Dip)
- Cecina Toscana – Tuscan Chickpea Flatbread
- Taleggio White Bean Dip
- Artichoke Dip – Parmesan, Lemon, Garlic
- Pea Bites with Prosciutto and Mascarpone
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Marinated Olives
Ingredients
- 11.6 oz (330g) unpitted jarred olives
- 1/2 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 small bunch fresh parsley
- 1 tsp chilli flakes, red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 clove garlic, , minced or grated
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 pinch pepper
- 1/4 cup (3 tbsp) olive oil
Instructions
- Put everything in a mixing bowl except from the parsley, olives and olive oil.
- Finely chop the parsley and add it to the bowl with the olive oil, mix everything together.
- Drain the olives and add them to the marinade, toss everything together until the olive are thoroughly coated then transfer to a serving bowl or ramekins. Serve.
Notes
- Use unpitted olives for extra flavour
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made these today and they are delicious. I made a bigger batch so upped the quantities. How long will they safely keep in the fridge?
I would think 3-5 days but check what the jar of olives you used suggests.