Citrus Marinated Olives I Can’t Stop Eating

Before I tell you about the citrus marinated olives I literally eat in one sitting, let me tell you about my love affair with olives in general. I don’t know about you, but I am a HUGE fan of olives. Seriously, love ‘em. Olives and I go way back. I am Greek, after all, and the Greeks produce some pretty damn good olives. I’m looking at you Kalamatas. You too, Throubes. You tasty, sun wrinkled salt bombs. I have very early memories of getting to eat the olives out of my Papouli’s dry martini. Actually, both he and my Yiayia would get extra olives in their martinis so my brothers and I wouldn’t have to fight over who got the gin or vodka-soaked olives.

When I visited the south of France two years ago, I was absolutely delighted to find at every restaurant, a tiny plate of locally grown olives was served with your glass of wine. I was enamored with the idea and resolved then and there to do the same when I open my wine bar one day. Now, I am dating a lovely Sardinian whose family owns olive orchards in Sardinia. They, of course, cure their own olives at home, not to mention pickling and marinating all sorts of vegetables, too. Needless to say, I was in heaven last year when I visited for the holidays.

Olives are Wine’s Best Friend

Now that my love and passion for wine has grown exponentially in the last couple of years, so has my love for olives. Simply put, olives and wine are a match made in heaven. This is one of the easiest pairings that you can put together when having friends over, around the holidays, or even just for a mid-week treat yourself moment.

Of course, not all wines pair with all olives. The type of olive and how it was cured or marinated should guide you in your wine pairing selection. I am planning to do a more inclusive guide for what wines to pair with various types of olives. For now, I will leave you with some basic guidelines to get started.

• Brinier olives – pair with a dry red, white or rosé wine. Dry sherry works is great, too.
  • Salty (briny) foods will increase the perception of body, while decreasing the perception of bitterness and acidity in a wine.
  • So, higher acid wines work well with briny olives, too.
  • This is why cured local olives were served alongside Provençal rosê all over the south of France.
  • Salt in food can also soften harder elements in wine (like tannin and high alcohol).
• Marinated olives – consider how the olives are marinated when selecting a wine.
  • Citrus marinated olives will complement a wine with citrus notes, fruity undertones, and higher acidity.
    • Some examples include Prosecco, Cava, Beaujolais, and more
• Green or brown olives with more mild flavors tend to pair better with white wines. Black olives with more intense flavors tend to be better with bolder red wines.
  • This isn’t a hard rule, but generally speaking I’ve found this to be true because the flavors are more balanced and complementary. Rather than the olives overpowering the wine or vice versa.
  • Depending on the style, rosé can really work with all types of olives.
  • I will elaborate more on this when I create my olive and wine pairing guide!
• Cheese stuffed olives – rely on the cheese to guide your wine pairing.
  • Blue cheese or Gorgonzola stuffed olives – full bodied red wine like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chianti, or Bordeaux.
  • Feta cheese stuffed olives – opt for a dry Greek wine or Pinot Noir.

Citrus & Thyme Marinated Olives

One of my all-time favorite olives are Castelvetrano olives. Mamma mia, these are delicious! Grazie Italia for cultivating these green, meaty beauties. Castelvetrano olives are fleshy, buttery, and so tasty. They have a mild flavor that is so easy to pair with a variety of wines. I especially love Castelvetrano olives with Chablis, Verdejo, Vinho Verde, or any type of dry bubbly.

Castelvetrano olives are the perfect type of olive to marinate at home. They are bigger and fleshier than other olives and are, therefore, able to soak up more flavor from a marinade. And with that, I give you my new favorite way to eat my old favorite olive, Citrus Marinated Castelvetrano olives.

These pair beautifully with Prosecco or Cava! The citrus in the marinade really allows those citrus and fruit notes in both wines to shine, while the thyme enhances the white floral aromatics. The fruit notes and light sweetness of the wines can also complement the buttery, green vegetal flavors of the olives. The higher acidity and bubbles of Prosecco and Cava act as a refreshing palate cleanser, so you can enjoy the fresh flavors with every bite.

For Cava, be sure to stay in the Brut Nature to Brut range, as you don’t want the sweetness of these styles of Cava with more sugar to overpower the sweetness of the citrus in the marinade. These olives would also be delicious with a rosé of Grenache, which typically shows aromas of strawberry, orange, and allspice. They’d also be perfect with a high acid, citrus laden Picpoul Blanc or an Albariño full of lemon, grapfruit, and saline flavors.

The Citrus Marinated Castelvetrano olives are best served warm, straightaway off the stove with all of the aromatics elevated. While amazing on their own or paired with a glass of bubbles, these olives are also the perfect addition to a tapas style get together with friends.

I’d love to know your favorite olives in the comments below. If you make my citrus marinated olives recipe, snap a photo and send it to me or tag me on Instagram. (@palm.and.vine)

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Citrus Marinated Olives With Thyme & Garlic

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

10 mins

 

This recipe livens up meaty, buttery Castelvetrano olives with orange, lemon, garlic, and thyme. Serve warm to enjoy all of the delicious aromas and flavors.

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Keyword: Citrus, Olives

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 6 oz Castelvetrano olives (1 jar, drained)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 strips lemon zest
• 2 strips orange zest
• juice of 1 orange
• juice of 1 lemon
• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced or minced
• sea salt
• cracked pepper
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. In a small sauce pan over medium to low heat, warm olive oil. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and citrus zests. Occasionally stir. Cook until garlic is golden and pale, about 2 minutes.

2. Add the olives, lemon and orange juice, thyme sprigs, a pinch of salt, and a bit of cracked pepper. Cook while stirring, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve warm.