BHA & BHT Free Lemon Garlic Herb Marinated Olives
Briny, fragrant, and impossibly easy to pull together, these marinated olives are the kind of appetizer that disappears before you even sit down. A trio of plump, meaty varieties gets warmed low and slow in extra-virgin olive oil with sliced garlic, fresh rosemary, thyme, and a long strip of lemon zest — the result is a deeply aromatic infused oil that clings to every olive. A pinch of turmeric and ginger adds a subtle warmth that makes the whole bowl feel a little more interesting than your average olive dish. Jarred olives from the store often come packed with preservatives like BHA and BHT to extend shelf life, so making your own infused batch at home is a genuinely smart move. Here, the only fat is real extra-virgin olive oil, and every other ingredient is a whole herb, spice, or citrus — nothing synthetic, nothing hidden. The technique is straightforward: gently bloom the aromatics in oil, warm the olives through, then finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for brightness. Serve them warm straight from the pan or let them cool to room temperature and watch them get even better as they sit.
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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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