Simply Delicious Marinated Olives

Here I’ll show you a simple and delicious marinade to wrap around olives!

If you’re a fan of olives you’re going to LOVE this recipe. With just a handful of simple ingredients, it couldn’t be easier to spruce up a jar of olives. Follow me…

Marinated Olives Ingredients

• Olives – Here I’ve used a mix of olives, but you can use any you fancy.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil – This is the base of the marinade. Try and grab some good quality extra virgin olive oil if you can.
• Red Wine Vinegar – Adds a gentle tangy flavour.
• Parsley & Oregano – Other popular herbs are thyme and rosemary, but I much prefer the combination of parsley and oregano.
• Orange – You’ll just need the peel. Some recipes suggest lemon, but I find orange offers a more unique flavour that ties all the flavours in the marinade together beautifully.
• Chilli Flakes – Even if you’re not too good with spice, I recommend just a small amount to add a little heat.
• Garlic – Need I justify this?!

Marinated Olives FAQ

What kind of olives to use?

You can use any kind of olive. I typically used jarred olives in brine, but olives fresh from the Deli would work great too. Just make sure they’re not stuffed or already marinated!

Should I use pitted or unpitted olives?

I find unpitted olives (i.e. with the stone still inside) slightly more flavoursome, however, I highly recommend using pitted olives when marinating, just so the marinade can get in and around the olive.

How long should I marinate for?

I recommend a minimum of an hour, but the longer the better!

How do you store marinated olives?

If you’re marinating for longer than an hour or so I’d store them tightly covered in the fridge.

How long do marinated olives last?

Marinated olives should last just as long as jarred olives, so around 2 weeks tightly stored in the fridge.

Serving Marinated Olives

When serving marinated olives you definitely want to bring them to room temp. This will help loosen up the marinade, as olive oil can solidify in the fridge.

These olives are perfect as an Appetizer, awesome as a Side to an Italian style sandwich, or even inside a sandwich (like an Antipasto Sandwich!)

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these Marinated Olives shall we?!

How to Marinate Olives (Full Recipe & Video)

Simply Delicious Marinated Olives

Here I'll show you a simple and delicious marinade to wrap around olives!

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Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Marinating Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings (click & slide): 6 big portions

Calories per serving: 207kcal

Author: Chris

Cost per serving: £1.50 / $2

Equipment

• Large Shallow Dish & Whisk/Fork
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Vegetable Peeler

Ingredients

• 14oz / 400g Olives, pitted (see notes)
• 1/3 cup / 80ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup / 20g very finely diced Fresh Parsley
• 4 fat cloves of Garlic, peeled & cut into 3 or so slices each
• 1 Orange, peeled to around 3/4" strips with vegetable peeler
• 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 1 tsp Dried Oregano
• 1 tsp Chilli Flakes, or to spice preference

Instructions

• In a large shallow dish whisk together extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, parsley, oregano and chilli flakes.
• Add in olives, orange peel and garlic. Toss to combine.
• Cover and marinate for at least an hour, tossing every now and then if you can. If marinating longer than an hour, marinate in the fridge. Bring to room temp before serving so the olive oil loosens up.

Quick Demo

Notes

a) Olives - You can really use whatever kind of olives you fancy. All the same, or a mixture like I've done here. Whilst unpitted olives tend to be ever-so-slightly more flavoursome, I recommend using pitted olives, just so the marinade can work its way in and around the olive. You also want to make sure the olives aren't already marinated, otherwise it'll throw off the flavour. I typically just grab jarred olives in brine and drain away the brine.

b) Orange - This adds a gorgeous undertone of flavour which pairs perfectly with the olives. If you prefer the flavour of lemon you could sub that, or even a mix of both. If you like orange and haven't tried it with orange I'd definitely give that a go first though.

c) How long to marinate for/Storage - Honestly the longer the better. I find an hour to be an absolute minimum where the flavours start to properly marry together. I find these usually stay good for up to 2 weeks tightly covered in the fridge. Always bring back to room temp before serving, just so the oil loosens up again.

d) Calories - Whole recipe divided by 6.

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Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

Simply Delicious Marinated Olives

Amount Per Serving

Calories 207 Calories from Fat 199

% Daily Value*

Fat 22.06g34%

Saturated Fat 2.991g19%

Trans Fat 0.006g

Polyunsaturated Fat 2.126g

Monounsaturated Fat 16.164g

Sodium 1032mg45%

Potassium 56mg2%

Carbohydrates 3.88g1%

Fiber 2.5g10%

Sugar 0.41g0%

Protein 0.92g2%

Vitamin A 480IU10%

Vitamin C 6.1mg7%

Calcium 47mg5%

Iron 0.66mg4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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