Warm Marinated Olives {Quick and Easy}

Name: Warm Marinated Olives
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: ½ cup extra virgin olive oil; 2 cloves garlic (peeled and sliced); 2 teaspoons fennel seeds; 2 teaspoons dried oregano; 1 fresh red chilli (optional); Finely grated zest of 1 lemon; 1½ cups mixed olives (stone in); 2 tablespoons lemon juice

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Warm marinated olives are a delicious addition to an antipasto plate. You can make them yourself in just 10 minutes!!

Plus they are so easy to make yourself with this simple recipe.

white plate of assorted olives viewed from the front.

Why you’ll love this recipe

Olives are definitely a polarising food. You either love them or you hate them. If you fall into the first category you will love this recipe for marinating olives and you’ll also love my Calabrese Pizza.

Easy make ahead appetisers are my favourite. It just makes life so much easier. Our Italian tradition is to serve antipasto before each feast and typically that would be Italian cured meats such as salami and prosciutto plus cheeses and marinated vegetables. While olives are delicious as they are, warming them with some aromatics brings out the flavour and makes these olives addictive!

This recipe is my adaption of Olive Siciliane Saltate from “My Taste of Sicily” by the Australian cook, Dominique Rizzo. Similarly, I think you will like my recipe for Marinated Eggplant which is also from the same cookbook.

These Warm Marinated olives take olives to the next level. Even just a bowl of these olives would be perfect with a drink at the end of the day!

Ingredient notes

chilli, dried herbs, garlic, olive oil, lemon zest, zested lemon on a wooden board with olives, zested lemon and zester viewed from above.

Because this recipe is so simple and requires so few ingredients, it is important to choose the best quality possible. You will need:-

extra virgin olive oil which is fresh and fragrant.
fresh garlic.
lemons for juice and zest.
herbs – I use dried for convenience but be sure you replace your dried herbs regularly.
chilli
finally olives – be sure to buy good quality unpitted olives from a deli that has high turnover

Variations

Flavourings can be adjusted to suit your tastes:-

chilli is optional, use less or don’t use at all
herbs can be substituted for fresh
herbs can be substituted – rosemary or thyme are also delicious

Additional flavourings to use:-

capers or caperberries
cumin seeds
coriander seeds
orange zest

Instructions

Preparing warm marinated olives is super simple but there are a few things to keep in mind.

Heat the extra virgin olive oil gently.
Add garlic and herbs to warm oil.
Don’t allow garlic to colour or brown at all.
Add olives and let them swim in the flavoured oil.
A little bit of lemon juice added at the end for a tangy finish.
Serve warm or at room temperature for optimal flavour.

Tips for success and FAQ’s

white plate with assorted olives in olive oil and a spoon viewed from above.

This most important tips start when you are shopping for ingredients.

Buy unpitted olives. Unpitted olives have all the flavour. I like to buy from my local Italian deli and choose a variety of green and black olives.
Choose good quality extra virgin olive oil.
Dried herbs become stale quickly so replace dried herbs regularly.

Then when preparing

Warm marinated olives be sure not to heat gently so as not to burn the garlic or herbs.
Check the chilli by tasting because the heat factor can vary greatly.
Add lemon juice at the end to ensure tangy freshness.

Finally serve with a small bowl for stones.

How to store marinated olives and for how long.

This recipe wonderful because it can be made ahead of time for easy entertaining. These olives will keep quite well for at least two weeks in the refrigerator and possibly longer and the flavour will intensify. For optimal flavour remember to bring the olives to room temperature or warm gently in a pan before serving.
It is normal for the olive oil to solidify in the fridge. When at room temperature the olive oil will return to liquid with no change to the flavour or texture.

More Italian appetisers.

Italian appetisers are generally simple with few ingredients and mostly easy to make ahead. As well as my Bagna Cauda here are some other recipes you might like to try. Just click on to the name to be taken right to the recipe.