This week I want to show you how to make an attractive and tasty appetiser from simple olives. I have prepared two recipes for marinated olives, one for black and one for green olives, using typical Spanish ingredients such as garlic, bay leaf, paprika, orange or oregano. 

Most of the olives found in local and online shops of Spanish products are of excellent quality and taste. Most of the time, these olives only need to open the jar or can and put on a plate to enjoy their flavour. They usually have their marinade from the pickled process of the artisan or factory.

However, there is another type of olives in which the pickled process has been simpler. They are usually found on the market in an acid medium such as rice vinegar or wine vinegar, making their price lower. This type of olive with a flatter flavour would be the perfect example to show you how to make a delicious tapa dish out of simple olives. 

Green olives marinade recipe

• Preparation time 5 min
• Marinating time 120 min

Ingredients (green olives) 6 serves

Green olives:

• 350 g Gordal olives
• 350 g Manzanilla olives
• 4 cloves of sliced garlic
• A bay leaf
• A bunch of thyme 
• 2 tsp Oregano
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp Cumin
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• ⅓ cup Sherry vinegar

Method (green olives)

1. Mix the two varieties of drained green olives in a large bowl with the garlic, bay leaves, thyme, paprika, oregano, cumin and black pepper.
2. Add the olive oil and sherry vinegar to the olives and stir to combine.
3. Put the mixture into a glass jar, close the lid and shake vigorously to mix all the flavours.
4. Now let them rest for a couple of hours in the fridge before consuming them to take on the marinade's taste.

Black olives marinade recipe

• Preparation time 5 min
• Marinating time 120 min

Ingredients (black olives) 6 serves

• 350 g black olives "de Aragón"
• 350 g of Arbequina olives
• ¼ red pepper in julienne strips
• ¼ yellow pepper in julienne strips
• ½ onion in julienne
• 5 dried chilli peppers
• ½ orange cut into small cubes
• ½ lemon cut into small cubes
• Lemon and orange zest
• 2 tsp dried tarragon
• Juice of half a lemon
• Juice of half an orange
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Method (black olives)

1. Mix the two varieties of black olives in a large bowl with the peppers, onion, diced orange and lemon, tarragon, dried chilli peppers, and orange and lemon zest.
2.  Add the olive oil and the orange and lemon juice to the olives, and stir to combine.
3. Add the mixture into a glass jar, close the lid and shake vigorously to mix all the flavours.
4. Now let them rest for a couple of hours in the fridge before eating to allow them to take on the marinade's flavour.

Click and watch the video recipe

It has been a pleasure to share this marinated olives recipe with you all. I hope you enjoyed this unique and addictive flavour as much as I did.

 See you soon!