Herbed Olives
French Herbed Olives Recipe – If you need a simple, elegant appetizer, these olives are an easy and flavorful snack to have with your pre-dinner libations. They’re a wonderful way to bring a taste of France into your home.
Marinated Olives are simple to make, and their salty brininess is the perfect addition to cocktail hour!
Why You Must Make
It’s Thanksgiving week here in the States, so it was a relief to have a simple recipe for French Fridays with Dorie. I had a jar of mixed olives in the fridge, plus coriander seeds, fennel seeds, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and black peppercorns in my spice cabinet, as well as garlic, olive oil, and lemons. All I needed was some fresh thyme and rosemary from the market. The seeds were quickly toasted and cooled, then the olive oil was heated with all the various seasonings plus a couple of strips of lemon zest. The olives were placed in a mason jar and topped with the warm, infused oil. The concoction was allowed to cool to room temperature, then was popped in the fridge for continued flavor development.
- These olives make a great hostess gift.
- They’re a tasty addition to an appetizer spread along with cheese, crackers, etc.
- Your friends will certainly ask where you bought these gourmet olives, and you’ll have a proud moment of admitting that you made them yourself!
French Marinated Olives
After a short visit to France this summer, my love of olives was rejuvenated. Olives were incorporated into many of our meals, as well as placed on our dining tables as we sat outdoors waiting for our dinners to be served. These marinated French herbed olives were a delicious reminder of the amazing dishes on our journey through Paris, Normandy, Aix-en-Provence and Cannes.
My childhood Thanksgivings always began with a relish tray and my sisters and I devoured the black olives first. They were simply drained and dumped out of a can to join the prosaic celery, carrots, radishes, and their green cousins stuffed with pimento. They seemed so exotic then, but the varieties found at the olive bars at our specialty markets are heads and tails above in both quality and taste. Dorie suggests buying the plainest olives and jazzing them up yourself. I think I approve!
Add these olives to your next Ahi Tuna Salade Nicoise or Classic Salade Nicoise, too! And if you love olives, this Sea Bass with Olives and Capers is amazing!
How to Make
- Drain the olives well and place them in a canning jar.
- Heat your spices in a warm skillet to bring out their flavors.
- Add part of the olive oil and add the remaining ingredients. Heat until warm and fragrant, about 2 minutes, our over the olives.
- Add the remaining ¼ cup of the olive or as much as you need to cover the olives. Stir to combine.
- Let cool completely, then seal and place in the fridge for a minimum of 8 hours, or up to a couple of weeks.
- Don’t throw away the leftover olive oil from your jar. You can reuse it for a salad or other recipes!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, there are many nutritional benefits that come from eating olives. They are a known antioxidant, low in calories, full of healthy fat, plus a good source of Vitamin E and fiber. They’re also part of the Mediterranean Diet, which consistently rates as one of the healthiest ways to eat. So enjoy your olives and jazz them up for company with this easy Herbed Olive Recipe!
Keep them refrigerated until you’re ready to serve. They’ll keep well for 2-3 months.
Helpful Tools
- Mason Jars (affiliate link)
- Small Serving Bowls (affiliate link)
- Citrus Zester (affiliate link)
You May Also Like:
- Smoky Black Bean Dip
- Cream Cheese Stuffed Mini Peppers
- Caramel Baked Brie
- Muenster and Spinach Pinwheels
- Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers
- More Appetizers Recipes
Herbed Olives Recipe
The perfect easy appetizer for cocktail parties, picnics and more!
Ingredients
- 2 cups of olives of your choice
- 3 rosemary sprigs, discard the stems and chop two of the sprigs
- 3 sprigs of thyme, discard the stems and chop two of the sprigs
- ¼ teaspoon coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon peppercorns
- ⅛ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ½ cup olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced into quarters
- 2 bay leaves, cut lengthwise
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 strips of orange or lemon zest
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Drain the olives well and place them in a canning jar.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat, then add the coriander, peppercorns, and fennel seeds. Stir them with a wooden spoon until you begin to smell their aroma, then scrape the spices into a small bowl.
- Let the pan cool down and then put it over low heat. Add ¼ cup of the olive oil and add the remaining ingredients. Heat until warm and fragrant, about 2 minutes
- Pour over the olives. Add the remaining ¼ cup of the olive or as much as you need to cover the olives. Mix a couple of times.
- Let cool completely, then seal and place in the fridge for a minimum of 8 hours, or up to a couple of weeks.
- Don’t throw away the olive oil. You can use it for a salad or other recipes!
Notes
May warm slightly to serve.
Note that these need an 8-hour marinating time before serving for the best flavor. These olives will last up to 2 months.
Recipe from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan with permission from the author.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 83Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 161mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g
