Herb and Garlic Marinated Olives

Whelp, I’ve officially become a pregnancy cliche. I don’t remember craving anything in particular with either of the boys, but this little girl has me wanting ALL THE LEMONS. All the salty/sour/tangy things, really, but especially lemon.

Although I can’t eat anything at Chick-fil-A, I’ve become a regular in the drive thru at least three times a week for their super sour lemonade. It is liiiiiiiife. By the way, did you know you can order ‘light ice’ at Chick-fil-A to get more bang for your lemonade buck? You’re welcome. This recent recipe was born out of a lemon craving – heck, I even found myself squeezing lemon juice into a bowl of chicken noodle soup the other day. I have no idea.

That said, the thought of marinating mixed olives and parmesan cheese in fresh herbs, garlic, red wine vinegar, and yes – lemon juice! – suddenly came to me last week, and the craving was so intense that I bought the ingredients to make them (translation: sent Ben to the store) a few hours later. Waiting 24 hours for them to marinate was utter torture, but this bright and briny gluten-free appetizer recipe was totally worth the wait!

Perusing the mixed olive bar at the grocery store was almost like going to the candy store before getting Celiac Disease. I say “almost” because let’s be real, nothing can compete with a wall of gummy worms. Anyway, now that “bars”, and “bulk” and “bins” for that matter, are no longer part of my culinary vocabulary, I simply make them at home!

Herb and Garlic Marinated Olives are a cinch to assemble (pour stuff in a bag y’all) plus they’re make-ahead so you won’t be scrambling the day of a party or get-together to come up with an appetizer. The flavors in the marinated olives just get better and better as they sit, too. Good after 24 hours but even better two or three days later. I made these to photograph last week but life got in the way (2 sick kids, work deadlines like woah, canceled school, yadda yadda yadda) and I wasn’t able to do so until three days after assembling. Totally serendipitous though because I’d been taste-testing them every day up to that point, and they truly got tastier every single day.

So that said, assemble these olives in the middle of the week if you anticipate weekend guests, or just keep them on hand in the fridge to snag anytime you need a savory snack. This might be the pregnancy talking, but the only thing that could possibly make Herb and Garlic Marinated Olives any better would be a handful of cornichons. We’ll never know unless we try!

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Start with olives, of course! You can use whatever kind you like. I happen to LOVE these Mezzetta green olives so I used 2 cups of those (basically the entire jar) plus 1 cup kalamata olives.

Add the olives to a large Ziplock bag with 4oz parmesan cheese that’s been cut into 1/4” cubes, 3 cloves smashed garlic, 1/2 Tablespoon whole black peppercorns, 1 large sprig each fresh rosemary and thyme, 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar and the juice of 1/2 lemon. 

Seal the bag up then gently mix to combine and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving, rotating and flipping the bag anytime you think about it. If you choose to make the olives three or more days ahead of time, replace the herbs with new fresh ones anytime they start to look a little sad.

When it’s time to dine let the bag sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, which allows the olive oil to melt, then pour the mixture into a serving bowl with olive tongs, toothpicks, or appetizer forks and go to town. I hope you love this EASY, absolutely delicious gluten-free appetizer recipe! Enjoy!