Wheat Free Herb-Marinated Olives
Warm, glistening olives steeped in garlic, rosemary, thyme, and a bright hit of lemon zest — this is the kind of appetizer that disappears from the table before anything else does. The technique is simple but transformative: gently heating the olive oil with fresh herbs and sliced garlic coaxes out deep, fragrant flavor that coats every olive beautifully. A pinch of red pepper flakes adds just enough heat to keep things interesting without overwhelming the briny, buttery character of the mixed olives. Every ingredient here is naturally free of wheat and gluten-containing grains, so there's no label-checking or substitution stress involved — just pure, unfussy cooking. The 30-minute resting period is where the real magic happens, letting the infused oil soak into the olives and meld into something that tastes far more complex than the effort required. These are equally at home on a charcuterie spread, alongside cheese, or simply served with toothpicks as a crowd-pleasing starter. Make a jar ahead of time and you'll be glad you did — the flavor only deepens as they sit.
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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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