Artificial Food Coloring Free Lemon Garlic Herb Marinated Olives
Briny, fragrant, and impossibly easy to pull together, these marinated olives are the kind of appetizer that disappears from the bowl before you've even finished pouring the drinks. A mix of plump varieties like Castelvetrano, Kalamata, and Cerignola gives you a range of textures and flavors, all brought together by a warm infusion of garlic, rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, and a whisper of turmeric and ginger. Gently heating everything in olive oil is the move here — it coaxes the aromatics into the fat and lets the olives soak up every bit of that fragrant, citrus-kissed goodness. Packaged marinated olives from the store often rely on preservatives and synthetic dyes to achieve their color and shelf life, but this version gets its golden warmth entirely from real spices and fresh herbs. There's nothing artificial hiding in the ingredient list — just honest pantry staples doing exactly what they're supposed to do. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end brightens the whole dish, and a scatter of flat-leaf parsley makes it look like something you'd order at a wine bar. Serve them warm straight from the pan or let them cool to room temperature — either way, they're stunning.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- 2 cups mixed olives, drained (such as castelvetrano, kalamata, and cerignola)
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 strip lemon zest (about 3 inches long), pith removed
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt, or to taste
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the olive oil, garlic, rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs, lemon zest strip, turmeric, and ginger in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Warm until the garlic is softened and fragrant and small bubbles form steadily around the herbs, about 4–5 minutes. Watch closely — the garlic should turn pale golden at the edges but not brown.
- 2
Add the drained olives to the saucepan and stir to coat. Continue to heat, stirring occasionally, until the olives are warmed through and have absorbed the aromatics, about 3–4 minutes.
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