Citric Acid Free Herb-Marinated Olives
Warm, fragrant, and deeply savory, these herb-marinated olives are the kind of appetizer that disappears from the bowl before anyone even sits down. A mix of buttery Castelvetrano, briny Kalamata, and meaty Cerignola olives gets gently warmed in extra-virgin olive oil with garlic, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes — the result is rich, aromatic, and completely addictive. Many store-bought marinated olives sneak in citric acid as a preservative, which makes homemade the smarter move when you need to keep that ingredient out of your diet. Here, bright flavor comes from fresh lemon zest instead, so you still get that little lift without any of the additives. The technique is simple: a slow warm on the stovetop lets the garlic turn golden and the herbs bloom into the oil before the olives soak everything up during a 30-minute rest. Pack them into a jar with all that infused oil and you have something that tastes like it came from a specialty deli — made entirely on your own terms.
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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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