A little spicy and full of flavor from garlic, lemon zest and herbs, these marinated apéro olives are perfect for serving with cocktails, beer and wine.
If you read my post from last Sunday, you saw the inspiration for this recipe in the photo of our shopping when we were in France last month. My husband chose some mixed marinated olives at a local market because when you are in France, you have to have l’apéro, short for l'apéritif - an aperitif, a drink that is meant to spark the appetite - in the evening.
L'apéro is a daily tradition there and includes getting together for drinks and nibbles with friends and family to unwind at the end of each day, usually taking place between 5-7 p.m. The supermarkets all have generous sections devoted to l’apéro, with cold cuts, sausages, crackers, cheese cubes, olives, pickles and other snacky food. One of my favorite areas of some of the best supermarkets in the world.
Marinated Apéro Olives
I’ve given the amounts of olives I used for this below but you can certainly mix and match more than one type of green and black olives. Use your favorites. My one strong recommendation is to use unpitted olives. They always taste better than already pitted one. Simply set out a small bowl for the discarded pits when serving.
Ingredients
1 lb or 450g good quality unpitted green olives
8 oz or 225g good quality unpitted black olives
2-3 small chili peppers
3 cloves garlic
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 lemon
1 large chili pepper
½ cup or 120ml good quality extra virgin olive oil
Method
Mince the garlic and the small chili peppers and put them in a bowl that will be large enough for all of the olives.
With a sharp knife, pare the zest off of the lemon, taking care to leave the white pith behind as best you can.
Add it to the bowl. Cut the lemon in half. Squeeze the juice from lemon halves into the bowl.
Strip the leaves off of the rosemary and thyme. Chop them roughly.
Slice the large chili pepper and add it to the bowl along with the herbs. Give it all a good stir.
Gently warm the olive oil to about 100°F or 38°C. Pour it in the bowl and leave to infuse and cool for a few minutes.
Add in the olives and give the whole thing a good stir.
Leave to marinate for an hour or two unrefrigerated, then store in a glass jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 weeks. I put mine in a container and tossed it around to mix again the next couple of days, when I thought about it.
Best served at room temperature with drinks of your choice! L'apéro at home!
Enjoy!
Welcome to the 15th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2026, brought to you by the letter O. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the O recipes below:
- Apple Cider Old Fashioned from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- BBQ Deviled Eggs with Crispy Fried Onions from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Blueberry Orange Waffles from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Gumbo-laya Stew from A Messy Kitchen
- Marinated Apéro Olives from Food Lust People Love
- Olive Oil-Cured Chevre-Filled Cigarillos from Culinary Cam
- Onion and Olive Oil Focaccia with Sea Salt from Sizzling Tastebuds
- Orange Cranberry Rolls from Blogghetti
- Pumpkin Olan from Mayuri’s Jikoni
- Rhubarb and Strawberry Baked Oatmeal from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
I. Italian Sausage Stuffed Mini Peppers - this post!
O. Marinated Apéro Olives - this post!
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