Olives are great, but olives wrapped in a tasty marinade are even better!!
As a young kid, I couldn’t stand the sight of olives. But now, give me a bucket of olives and I’d gladly plough through the entire thing. I’ve played around with different ways of serving them in the past, but nothing comes close to this marinade. Follow me…
Marinated Olives
The great thing about this recipe is you only need a handful of ingredients, some of which you’ll hopefully already have on hand!
Marinated Olives Ingredients
- Olives – Go for whatever kind of olives you fancy. You can use all the same, or a mix as I’ve done here.
- Garlic – I recommend slicing it instead of finely dicing, just so you get a nice gentle infusion of garlic, as opposed to having it all up in your face with every olive.
- Red Wine Vinegar – Adds a gentle tangy background flavour.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Creates the base of the marinade. Try and use good quality oil, just because it makes up the bulk of the marinade.
- Orange – You’ll just need the peel. This adds a gorgeous, warm and zesty undertone of flavour which binds all the ingredients.
- Chilli Flakes – Even if you’re not too good with spice, I recommend just a small amount to add a little heat.
- Parsley & Oregano – Dried oregano is fine, but you’ll definitely want fresh parsley.
What are the best olives to use?
I typically used jarred olives in brine or olives fresh from the Deli. Just make sure they’re not stuffed or already marinated!
How to Marinate Olives
As you can imagine, it’s a fairly straightforward process. I recommend using a large shallow dish, just so the olives will marinate evenly. You can marinate them in a jar, however, I find a lot of the marinade fall to the bottom, unless you fill the jar right up with oil; which in turn dilutes the flavour slightly.
How long should I marinate olives?
I recommend an absolute minimum of an hour, but the longer the better!
Process shots: add oil, vinegar, parsley, oregano and chilli flakes to a large shallow dish (photo 1), whisk to combine (photo 2), add olives, garlic and orange peel (photo 3), toss then marinate (photo 4).
Marinated Olives FAQ
Should I use pitted or unpitted olives?
I highly recommend using pitted olives when marinating, just so the marinade can get in and around the olive.
How do you store marinated olives?
If you’re marinating the olives for longer than an hour or so, I’d store them tightly covered in the fridge.
How long will 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
Always serve marinated olives at room temp, just to loosen up the oil (it can solidify in the fridge). You can serve as an appetizer or snack with toothpicks, or you can do as I’ve done below and serve with baked feta and toasted ciabatta as a starter or light lunch!
For another delicious olive recipe check out my Olive Pasta!
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for these marinated olives shall we?!
How to Marinate Olives (Full Recipe & Video)
The most DELICIOUS Marinated Olives
Equipment
- Large Shallow Dish
- Whisk (or can just use a fork)
- Vegetable Peeler (for zest)
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Baking Dish & Baking/Parchment Paper (if serving with baked feta)
Ingredients
Olives
- 1/3 cup / 80ml good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus a drizzle extra if you need to loosen up the marinade a little
- 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp Dried Chilli Flakes (can reduce if not good with spice)
- 1/4 cup / 20g very finely diced Fresh Parsley
- 14oz / 400g pitted Olives (see notes)
- 1 small Orange, peeled into strips with a vegetable peeler
- 4 fat cloves of Garlic, peeled & thinly sliced (around 5 or so slivers per clove)
Optional
- 1x 200g/9oz block of Feta
- sliced Ciabatta, or other bread/baguette
- good drizzle of Honey
Instructions
- In a large shallow dish whisk together extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, parsley, oregano and chilli flakes. Toss in olives, orange peel and garlic.
- Cover and marinate at room temp for at least an hour, tossing every now and then if you can. If you're marinating longer than an hour, marinate in the fridge. Bring to room temp before serving so the oil loosens up.
- Optional: Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Pat the feta dry then place on baking paper on top of a baking dish or tray. Drizzle over a tbsp of the marinade then bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly golden and very soft to touch. Drizzle honey over the top then place under the grill/broiler for a few mins until hot & bubbly. Brush over excess honey from around the feta then serve with the olives circled around it. Toast the ciabatta in a scorching hot pan or until the grill/broiler.
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
I made this for my Book club and they loved it! It makes a nice looking presentation and taste great. Will make again with a different brand of feta, as the one I used didn’t get as soft as yours, maybe cut them in half also to stop the rolling factor. Thank you for the great recipe.
So pleased it went down well, Sharon! 🙂 C.
I am not a fan of olives but I needed something to add to an appetizer spread for a party. I needed on this recipe. Everyone raved about them! Super easy to do and I love that you can do it a few days ahead. Once again, your recipe was a huge hit!!
Thanks so much for the review, Anne! 🙂 C.
These are absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Thanks for the review, Barb! 🙂 C.
Absolutely delicious! My feta did not get as soft as in your video. I followed the directions exactly. What brand of feta did you use? Any suggestions?
Hi Andrea! I’ve used various different brands of Greek feta, such as Sainsbury’s Greek Feta and Attis Greek Feta Cheese. There are some varieties out there that are quite firm though and in such case unfortunately won’t get as soft. There’s also a possibility it might need a little longer in the oven. Great to hear you enjoyed the recipe otherwise and thanks so much for popping back for a review! C.
Thanks for the response! I am making this for the 3rd time this season. It has been the star of the show everywhere i have taken it.
Great to hear!! C.
Can you use pesto for the base in the dressing?
You could, but it would completely change the flavour dynamic of the original recipe. Always great to experiment so give it a go if you fancy! C.
I sent my husband to the grocery store for olives. He brought back kalamatas with a big clump of oregano in the jar if I take the oregano out and rinse the olives will it still be a problem? I worried it will be too much oregano even with rinsing. He also brought me green olives stuffed with pimento. Can I just pull that out of the olives. Next time I need to give better instructions to him.
Hey Rose! I wouldn’t worry too much – I personally think the stuffed olives will be delicious. I wouldn’t rinse the olives, but you could reduce the oregano in the recipe is you’re wary and add a few more pinches at the end if needed. C.
Would it ok to add cubed cojack cheese to the olive mixture while marinating?
I haven’t tried myself but you could certainly give it a go if you like cojack with your olives 🙂 C.
Made this today and loved it!
Great to hear! C.
Divine! Served with goat cheese on Easter. I cut kalamata olives in half to reduce the rolling factor. I might have to quarter them next time for my husband!
Thanks so much for the review, Susan! Love the idea of goat cheese! C.
These were SO GOOD. I didn’t serve with feta, but next tell I will. Everyone loved these. Thanks for the recipe!!
Thanks for the review, Dan! 🙂