Citrus Marinated Olives
These easy and addictive warm citrus marinated olives are a delicious appetizer or snack made with just a few simple ingredients in less than 15 minutes. Plump, juicy olives steeped in herb-infused olive oil made flavorful with lots of tangy citrus, red chili flakes, and garlic. Perfect for serving at parties or as a simple afternoon treat.
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When entertaining, it's important to have a few simple noshes available to your guests when they arrive. Whether they're gathering for a simple cocktail hour or full on dinner party, people will probably be hungry, and you should always have a little something for them to snack on.
Enter your new favorite appetizer: warm citrus marinated olives. These bright, tangy little nibbles are the perfect addition to any gathering.
Sure, you can just put out a basic bowl of olives, but why not take a few minutes to transform them into delicious marinated olives instead? It's such an effortless and quick appetizer that easily turns a boring jar of olives into the best olives you've ever had.
I love serving them with cocktails or before a bigger meal, such as Italian beef braciole or Chicken Milanese.
These spicy marinated olives make such a great appetizer and are one of my favorite ways to jazz up an antipasto platter, cheese platter or charcuterie board.
The great thing about them is that they're so easy to make and can be adapted to suit your preferences. Use a different kind of olive or several olive varieties, switch up the aromatic herbs or add a few more chillies for extra spicy olives.
Serve them with a festive bubbly cocktail with another simple appetizer like tuna carpaccio, shrimp cocktail, or fried calamari! This easy appetizer recipe instantly elevates any dish with its aesthetic appeal and luxurious flavor combinations - herby, citrusy, and garlicky with a touch of heat. So good!
If you're an olive lover, you won't want to miss out on this recipe - they're sure to become your new favorite olives!
For more appetizers, try my heirloom tomato and feta toasts, pickled Italian vegetables, or marinated roasted red peppers.
Why This Recipe Works
- An easy restaurant worthy appetizer in just a few minutes.
- Great made in advance for a quick snack or last minute entertaining.
- Can be placed in a decorative jar and given out as thoughtful holiday gifts.
Olives - I like to use different types of olives, usually a combination of Kalamata olives, cerignola, gaetta, lucque and castelvetrano olives. Make sure they're good quality and have some brine with them - you will need it for the recipe. Avoid olives that are already seasoned or stored in oil. You can use pitted or unpitted olives.
Citrus - I use lemon peel and orange peel, plus their juice, but if you can get Meyer lemons those make a great substitute. They add such a lovely tart and zesty flavor! You can use any type of orange, such as a clementine or satsuma, if you prefer.
Red pepper flakes - You can also use a whole dried chili pepper or leave it out the chilli flakes if you don't love spicy food.
*Find the full ingredient list in the recipe card below!
Helpful Equipment
How to Make Citrus Marinated olives
- Use a vegetable peeler to remove big pieces of orange and lemon zest, being careful to avoid as much of the white pith as you can.
Pro Tip: Be careful when removing the lemon and orange peel. The white pith just beneath the citrus peel can make the marinade bitter, so try to avoid it as much as you can.
- Remove the thyme and rosemary leaves from their stems and them to a small saucepan with the citrus peels, bay leaves, garlic, chili flakes, and olive oil, then place it on the stove over medium-low heat.
- Bring up to a gentle simmer for about 5 minutes, then turn off the heat.
- Add the olives and toss with the hot oil. Add the olive brine, orange juice and lemon juice, then mix to combine
- Let marinate in the pot for at least an hour (several is best), then transfer to a bowl and serve while still warm. Stir the olives before serving to evenly distribute the marinade.
These citrus marinated olives will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week. Bring them up to room temperature or gently warm before serving.
Pro Tip: Always put out a small dish next to your olives for people to discard their olive pits!
Tips for Success
- Try adding different herbs and spices. Fennel seeds, black pepper corns and coriander seeds all make a great addition to the recipe.
- The olives become more flavorful the longer they are steeped in the marinade. Let them marinate for at least an hour for the best results.
- Serve the marinated olives warmed at room temperature to best enjoy their flavor. You can gently warm them on the stove top or microwave right before serving.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many different ways to serve this marinated olives recipe, but my favorite is as a snack with cocktails, beer or wine. They are amazing with a rosemary blueberry vodka spritzers or cranberry, clementine, and rosemary cocktails.
They're great added to a charcuterie or cheese board, or an antipasto or mezze platter. They pair especially well with salty feta cheese and nutty parmesan cheese.
You can also use them on salads, or to add zing grilled meats, seafood and veggies, or just place them on the dinner table for a little something extra to nibble on.
These marinated olives make a lovely hostess gift! Place them in a mason jar or decorative container, tie with a ribbon and you have an amazing edible homemade gift!
Don't forget to finish your meal with something sweet, like Italian pignoli cookies or ricotta pie!
FAQs
Of course! Though we prefer them with pit intact, pitted olives also work.
Aside from rosemary and thyme, try using oregano, basil, fennel, mustard seeds, and parsley. You can also add black peppercorns, coriander, cumin or lime zest.
Place them in an airtight container or lidded jar in the fridge for up to a week. Rewarm gently on the stove top or microwave.
Yes, you can. The olive oil in the marinade helps to preserve their texture once frozen. Place them in a freezer-friendly container and store them for a few months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight before warming.
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Easy and Addictive Warm Citrus Marinated Olives
Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- 1 small orange or clementine
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2 cloves garlic smashed and peeled
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1 small dried red chili pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups assorted green and black olives
- ¼ cup olive brine
Instructions
- Use a vegetable peeler to remove big pieces of zest from the lemon and orange, being careful to avoid as much of the white pith as you can.
- Roughly chop the thyme, rosemary and bay leaves so they're in large pieces.
- Add the citrus peels, herbs, garlic, chili flakes and olive oil to a medium saucepan, then place it on the stove over medium low heat.
- Bring up to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, then turn off the heat.
- Add the olives and toss with the hot oil. Add the olive brine and juice from the lemon and orange, then mix to combine
- Transfer to a bowl, then cover and let marinate for at least an hour and up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving
Notes
- Swap out the orange and lemon for two Meyer lemons instead if you can find them. They have incredible flavor!
- You can use either thyme or rosemary or both. If only dry herbs are available, use ¼ teaspoon of each.
- I prefer mostly green olives for this mix, but any variety will work. My favorites are are cerignola, castelvetrano and lucque - just use high quality olives, with the pit if possible.
Where is this marmalade everyone is talking about? Don't see it in the ingredients.
It looks like the comments from my Meyer lemon marmalade somehow got cross published onto this page, probably just a weird glitch. Here is the recipe if you're interested! https://coleycooks.com/meyer-lemon-marmalade/
mam......that is one hell of a recipe..........just picked close to 500 off 3 trees .........going to make this a lot...........
No marmalade for me here in oz, not a fan but loove lemon btteur. No nO No don't let the dog stay in the bed! He won't stay little, soft and floppy for long, he'll soon be huge and not as yummy smelling. Set up a soft squishy bed of his own, someplace inside where he is in a prime position to keep an eye on everything and try to do some guarding while he sleeps. Good Luck!
Beautiful! Definitely worth take 2! You know I've got Meyer lemons coming out of my ears right now, and this is one thing I have not made! I'm making a giant batch right away.
p.s. love that shirt.
You go ahead and add an extra squeeze of lemon to yours. 😉
I love marmalade - and don't like sniorng dogs so I would inhale the marmalade and exile the dog. I love the picture of your daughter styling her photos. I will have photoshoots and spend all morning taking pictures of cupcakes or cookies or easter eggs (and I've done all these). At this time of the year I have to plan ahead and do my photoshoots on Saturday morning when there is enough light since I work all week.
Are you telling me that you do all of your own food styling? Some of your pieces are so freaking professional that I always assumed that you hired a pro from NYC! Your photos could be in Food and Wine or Saveur. Dang. I'm impressed (again).
Gee wiz, thanks Bruno! Last year I started my journey to becoming a better photographer and food stylist. I'm so glad to hear it's been paying off!
Would love a jar, I LOVE marmalade... and make my own as well. Ours are plums, beuscae in our new house we have LOTS of plum trees! (Or is that "Jam"?) Anyway, Oliver is too cute to kick out.... but you need your rest too... Our dog has his own dog bed at the side of ours... he still snores but at least I can stretch in my own bed and not be a visitor.