Warm Marinated Olives Recipe

These aromatic Warm Marinated Olives are a cocktail hour essential as well as being incredibly sophisticated! Heating the olives in olive oil makes them go plump and juicy, which along with the orange zest and fennel seeds adds a fragrant, citrusy warmth to this appetizer that is so perfect with a glass of wine.

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Warm Marinated Olives Recipe Ingredients

• 2 cups large green olives with pits (Cerignola are best)
• 2 cups large black olives with pits (Kalamata are best)
• 2/3 cup good quality olive oil
• Zest of 1 orange, peeled in wide strips
• 4 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 2 teaspoons whole fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves (plus 4 whole sprigs)
• 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

How To Make Warm Marinated Olives Recipe

1. Prep the mix: Drain the olives from their jar brine completely. Place them in a medium bowl. Add the strips of orange zest, smashed garlic cloves, fennel seeds, chopped thyme, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.
2. Coat: Pour the 2/3 cup of olive oil over the olive mixture. Add the whole thyme sprigs. Toss everything together until the olives are glistening and coated in the herbs and spices.
3. Heat: Transfer the entire mixture (oil and all) into a medium 10-inch sauté pan. Place the pan over medium heat.
4. Sizzle: Watch the pan closely. Once the oil begins to sizzle gently around the garlic, lower the heat immediately to low. You don’t want to fry the olives; you just want to warm them through.
5. Infuse: Sauté gently for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The garlic should soften but not brown too much, and the orange peel should release its oils, making the kitchen smell incredible.
6. Serve: Remove from heat. Pour the warm olives and the infused oil into a serving bowl. Serve immediately while warm, with a small empty bowl on the side for the pits.

Recipe Tips!

• Pits are Key: Always use olives with pits! The pits help the olive maintain its structure and firm texture when heated. Pitted olives tend to collapse and become mushy and overly salty when warmed.
• Oil Quality: Since you are essentially making a warm dressing, use a decent olive oil. It doesn’t need to be your most expensive finishing oil, but it should taste good on its own as guests will be dipping bread into it.
• Orange Zest: Use a vegetable peeler to get wide strips of zest. Try to avoid the white pith underneath, which is bitter. The heat extracts the orange oil much better from wide strips than from grated zest.
• Don’t Overheat: If the oil gets too hot, the garlic will burn and turn bitter, and the olives will shrivel. Keep the heat gentle—think “warm bath,” not “deep fry.”

What To Serve With Warm Marinated Olives Recipe?

This Warm Marinated Olives Recipe is the ultimate nibble to start a dinner party! A basket of Crusty Baguette or Focaccia is mandatory for dipping into the leftover garlic-orange oil. For a cheese pairing, serve alongside cubes of Manchego or Pecorino, which stand up well to the strong flavors. A glass of chilled Rosé or a dirty Martini is the perfect beverage match.

How To Store Warm Marinated Olives Recipe

• Refrigerate: Store leftovers in the oil in a jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. The oil will solidify when cold.
• Reheat: To serve again, spoon the desired amount into a small pan or microwave-safe bowl and warm gently until the oil liquefies and the olives are heated through.
• Freeze: Do not freeze. The texture of the olives will be ruined.

Warm Marinated Olives Recipe Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 120 kcal
• Fat: 14g
• Carbohydrates: 2g
• Protein: 0g

Nutrition information is estimated per serving (approx. 5-6 olives).

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