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A metal skillet filled with warm olives, rosemary, and lemon zest.
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5 / 5 votes

Warm Olives

These warm olives constitute a simple yet savvy appetizer with just citrus, rosemary or thyme, olive oil, and chiles. Ready in less time than it takes to run and buy marinated olives from the store.
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Appetizers
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 304

Ingredients

  • 2 cups assorted olives, rinsed and drained
  • 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 to 3 thin strips orange or lemon zest, preferably orange
  • 2 small sprigs rosemary or thyme
  • Crushed red pepper flakes
  • Feta, for serving (optional)
  • Almonds, for serving (optional)

Instructions

  • Toss the olives, oil, orange or lemon zest, and rosemary or thyme in a large skillet. Season with red pepper flakes.
  • Bring to a gentle simmer and keep over the heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, about 5 minutes.
  • Using a slotted spoon, transfer the olives and seasonings to a bowl. (Reserve the oil for another use such as whisking it into a vinaigrette or drizzling it over roasted vegetables, fish, chicken, or pork.) Serve the olives warm alone or, if desired, alongside feta or almonds.

Notes

What You Need To Know About Choosing Olives

There’s no one particular kind of olives that’s best for this warm olives recipe. Actually, choosing an array of olives in varying shapes and sizes and colors makes this exponentially more enticing than if you’d just grabbed a jar of Kalamatas. Shown in the photo above are the Cerignola, Castelvetrano, Kalamata, and Niçoise, which we consider a lovely and pleasing mix, although opt for whichever olives you fancy.

Nutrition

Calories: 304kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 25g | Sodium: 701mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g