Marinated Olives With Garlic and Herbs
A quick, flavorful olive appetizer with garlic, herbs, citrus, and peppers—perfect for parties and grazing boards, and they make a terrific hostess gift.
Servings: 8 to 9 (Yield 3 cups)
Calories: 147kcal
Equipment
- A very small pot, 1-quart
- ¾ liter (26 ounce) lidded jar
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6-8 large whole fresh garlic cloves
- 1 ½ cups Castelvetrano olives
- 1 cup Kalamata olives
- 3 tablespoons sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar champagne vinegar option
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2-3 strips lemon zest
- 1-2 tablespoon capers see note below
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
Poach the garlic cloves
- Add olive oil to the smallest saucepan you have ( a 1-quart) and warm over low heat to 180–200°F. Add the garlic cloves. The oil may not completely cover the garlic, depending on your pan size, so gently swirl the pan or turn the cloves once or twice as they poach. Cook for 5 minutes, keeping the oil below a simmer. Remove from the heat and cool completely.
Finish the marinated olives
- Add the olives, vinegar, oregano zest, capers, thyme and red pepper flakes to a jar. Pour the cool oil and garlic cloves over the top. Stir or shake gently to combine. Marinate for at least 4 hours, but ideally overnight, for the best flavor. Refrigerate and let come to room temperature before serving, about 30 minutes.
Notes
Storage: Keep olives submerged in their oil in an airtight jar and refrigerate for 10–14 days. The flavors continue to improve over time. For serving, let the olives stand at room temperature for 20–30 minutes so the oil loosens and aromatics bloom. The garlic is delicious to eat too!
For serving as a mezze platter, cocktail nibble, or snack nibbles when entertaining, you can replace any herb springs with fresh herbs so they look nice and not tired and they do wither as they sit in the oil.
Another olive option - For 3 cups of total olives, add ½ cup of Cerignola olives or oil-cured black olives.
If you have extra garlic-infused oil after poaching the garlic (because you had to add more to come close to submerging the garlic), refrigerate it and use within 1 week for sautéing vegetables, brushing on bread, or whisking into dressing.
Nutrition
Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Sodium: 292mg | Potassium: 17mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 86IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 0.3mg