Marinated Olives – Ready In 5 Minutes

These easy marinated olives are a great addition to an antipasto platter or as a simple and good 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 good appetizer.

We first had these marinated olives during the summer when we were visiting our boyfriend's family. His sister quickly whipped them up as a little nibble to go with drinks and they were so good!

Olives are a popular aperitivo (appetizer) in Italy and you can find all sorts of good, marinated kinds behind the deli counters in supermarkets or little family run stores.

And although incredibly good 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 takes 5 minutes. What's better is that you can tweak it with your favourite herbs, spices and citrus flavours to make your own favourite olives.

They are great as they are along with cocktails or if you're going all out they make a solid 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 (we 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 we don't add any additional seasoning. Taste one once you have drained them, they probably won't need any additional salt.

Enjoy, Oh, and we 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

Ingredients

Makes 6 -8 people

• 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

Method

1. Put everything in a mixing bowl except from the parsley, olives and olive oil.

2. Finely chop the parsley and add it to the bowl with the olive oil, mix everything together.

3. 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.

Kitchen notes

• Use unpitted olives for extra flavour