Black Pepper Free Mediterranean Marinated Olives
Briny, fragrant, and deeply savory, these marinated olives are the kind of appetizer that disappears from the table before anyone even sits down. A mix of Castelvetrano, Kalamata, and Cerignola olives brings a range of textures and flavors, while warm olive oil infused with garlic, rosemary, thyme, and lemon zest ties everything together beautifully. The gentle heat blooms the aromatics just enough to coax out their best qualities without cooking anything down. Ground turmeric and ginger step in as the warming, slightly earthy backbone here — doing the work that black pepper typically handles in most marinated olive recipes, without any of the heat or irritation that makes pepper a problem for some people. A bright hit of fresh lemon juice at the end keeps the whole thing lively and balanced. They only get better the longer they sit, so making them a day ahead is genuinely rewarded. Serve them at room temperature with crusty bread or alongside a cheese board and watch them vanish.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
- 1 ½ cups mixed olives (such as castelvetrano, kalamata, and cerignola), pitted or whole
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 strip lemon zest (about 3 inches), pith removed
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Drain the olives and pat them dry with a paper towel, then transfer to a clean jar or heatproof bowl.
- 2
Combine the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, turmeric, ginger, and salt in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Warm until the garlic is fragrant and just beginning to turn golden at the edges, about 3–4 minutes — watch closely, as the garlic can brown quickly.
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