Barley Free Herb-Marinated Olives
Briny, fragrant, and deeply savory, these herb-marinated olives are the kind of effortless appetizer that looks like you put in way more effort than you actually did. A trio of fresh herbs — rosemary, thyme, and oregano — gets gently warmed in good olive oil alongside sliced garlic until everything turns golden and impossibly aromatic. The olives then soak in that infused oil, soaking up every bit of flavor along with a bright hit of lemon zest and a gentle kick from red pepper flakes. The result is something that tastes like it came from a fancy charcuterie board at a wine bar, but it came from your stovetop in under fifteen minutes. Because the ingredient list is built entirely around whole olives, fresh herbs, and pantry staples, there's nothing hidden to worry about — no grain-based fillers, no ambiguous marinades, just clean, bold flavors you can actually trace. These keep beautifully in a jar in the fridge, and the infused oil only gets better as it sits, making them ideal for prepping ahead before guests arrive.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- 2 cups mixed olives (such as castelvetrano, kalamata, and cerignola), drained
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tsp fresh oregano leaves
- 1 tsp lemon zest (from about ½ lemon)
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
Instructions
- 1
Combine the olive oil, garlic, rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs, oregano, red pepper flakes, and black pepper in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Warm until the garlic is fragrant and just beginning to turn golden at the edges, about 4–5 minutes. Watch closely — the garlic can brown quickly at this stage.
- 2
Add the drained olives and lemon zest to the saucepan. Stir to coat and continue warming over medium-low heat until the olives are heated through and the oil is bubbling gently around them, about 3–4 minutes.
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