Plump green Sicilian olives are marinated in lemon zest and juice, garlic and thyme for a totally addictive and delicious treat.
The simple things in life that make us the happiest. Or so they say.
And my quick lemon, garlic and thyme marinated olives could not be simpler. In fact, they are so simple, so quick, so easy that I hadn’t thought of posting them as a recipe. However, after repeated requests from friends and family for the recipe I’m only too happy to oblige.
I love green olives, but don’t like paying the exorbitant price tag at delis for marinated olives, so I love to marinate my own. All I do is toss them in a mixture of lemon zest and juice, garlic good extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of sea salt (smoked sea salt is a great one to use here, but if you don’t have it regular sea salt is fine. The finishing touch is a few herbs, I’ve used thyme here, one of my favourite herbs. But rosemary and parsley would make wonderful alternatives. Or you can skip the herbs altogether.
Lemon, Thyme and Garlic Marinated Olives
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Sicilian olives
- peel and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 clove of garlic chopped
- 3 tbs good extra virgin olive oil
- pinch of sea salt smoked sea salt is great here
- a few sprigs of thyme
Instructions
- Drain the olives to remove the brine they come in and give them a quick rinse.
- Grab a dish that is large enough to fit the olives in a single layer. Toss all of the ingredients together in the dish, cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving so that the oil can liquefy again.
I am anxious to try your recipe but I have learned there is a huge discrepancy between olives and their freshness and firmness. Where do u get your olives?
I’m not sure where you are based in the world Betty, but I use the Always Fresh brand pitted Sicilian Olives here in Australia. You might have to try a few brands first, unfortunately, before you find a reputable brand.
I do something similar using rosemary and, like you, have never even thought of it as a reciep!
It’s funny isn’t it, there are things we just throw together, and never think of writing down. This was one of those things but after so many requests I just had to share it. Your version with rosemary sounds fab. Do you have any olive trees?