Marinated Olives Recipe

Rinse and taste

Rinse the olives briefly under cool running water in a colander and drain well. Taste one olive and note its saltiness so you can adjust added salt later.

Place the drained olives in a medium bowl or directly into a clean jar that has a tight-fitting lid (a 1-pint jar is ideal for the quantities listed).

In a separate bowl, whisk together the extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and honey (if using) until combined.

Add the thinly sliced garlic, rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs, red pepper flakes, whole black peppercorns and bay leaf to the bowl or jar with the olives.

Add the lemon and orange zest strips to the olives. The zest should be in strips (use a vegetable peeler or zester) so it can be easily removed if desired later.

Pour the olive oil mixture over the olives and aromatics, making sure the oil comes up around and covers most of the olives. If using a bowl, stir gently to distribute the aromatics and oil evenly.

Add 2 teaspoons of the fine sea salt to the olives, stir or shake gently to mix. Wait 10 minutes, then taste an olive. If the olives need more seasoning, add the remaining teaspoon of salt a little at a time until balanced — keeping in mind some olives are already salty.

Cover the jar or bowl and refrigerate. For best flavor, let the olives marinate at least 24 hours before serving; flavors continue to develop for 2–5 days. If you have time, turn or shake the jar once or twice during the first day to redistribute oil and aromatics.

Before serving, let the olives sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes (flavors are more pronounced when not ice-cold). Remove and discard the rosemary sprigs, thyme stems and bay leaf if you prefer, or leave them for presentation.

Transfer olives to a serving bowl, drizzle with a little of the marinade oil, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and chopped fresh parsley. Serve with crusty bread, crackers or as part of an antipasti board.

Store any leftover marinated olives in the refrigerator, submerged in the marinade oil, for up to 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature before serving again.