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
If you've tried this or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I'm getting up to.
Marinated Olives
Ingredients
- 11.6 oz (330g) unpitted jarred olives
- ½ tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1 small bunch fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ clove garlic , minced or grated
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 pinch pepper
- ¼ 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
Nutrition
- 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.
Morag
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?
Emily
I would think 3-5 days but check what the jar of olives you used suggests.
Paul Tickner
Recipe looks lovely. I think i'll use pitted olives so all that lovely marinade can steep through the middle!
How long do they keep for?
Katie D
I just made a cheese board this weekend for NYE and was thinking how it was missing olives. I definitely could have used this recipe!
Dannii
Those olives look so tasty. Something really easy to whip up when you have guests over.
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks Dannii, they're perfect for that!
Lisa Bynum
My husband is an olive fiend -- he would LOVE this!
Inside the rustic kitchen
They are addictive!
Ben Myhre
I love olives and wish these were in my fridge right now.
Tina
What a great, quick recipe. I love marinated olives. Saving this for later.
Inside the rustic kitchen
Thanks Tina, hope you enjoy!
Lisa
I absolutely love marinated olives like this -- my recipe uses orange zest, but I know lemon would give it a light citrusy note as well. Perfect for nibbling with a cocktail.
Inside the rustic kitchen
Mmm, I've not tried orange zest yet, I'll need to give it a go.
Jessica Robinson
Love the idea of marinating your own olives! They would be a perfect addition to a cheese platter for New Year's Eve or any party!
Inside the rustic kitchen
Definitely and they are so easy to whip up!
Monica | Nourish & Fete
I always love getting little plates of these at restaurants, yet have never tried making them myself at home! Going to fix that ASAP! Thanks for this great guide and showing us just how simple these are to make!
Inside the rustic kitchen
No problem Monica!
Natalie
YUM! I love olives and this looks like such a great and delicious snack. So easy to make too! Can't wait to try it soon 🙂
Inside the rustic kitchen
Hope you enjoy Natalie 🙂