This Marinated Olive Tapa is so easy you don’t ever need to pay the premium prices for gourmet olives again! Warning! These are addictive!
I made these as part of a Rioja winetasting with tapas. In addition to these marinated olives I served a simple but amazing Pan con Tomate, Spanish Garlic Shrimp, Spanish Tortilla, Manchego Cheese and Spanish Paprika Pork Skewers. Check out the full spread here, along with the basics of Spanish Rioja wines and everthing you need to know to host a Rioja winetasting and Tapas evening. Many of the recipes are super easy and use only a few ingredients. The Pork Skewers and Spanish Tortilla take a bit more time and effort. Spread the work around by assigning a dish to each participant!
And – surprise! Out of the various dishes I served the most requested recipe was for the Marinated Olive Tapa! Maybe because they are so simple yet so delicious. Quite a return on your effort!
These are so simple. I bought a 750 mil jar of plain, unpitted olives (about 3 cups). Drain them and then replace the original vinegar with the marinating mixture below.
Warm them gently and you will be amazed at how flavourful they are. Having said that, there are no Spanish-specific ingredients in these olives. Olives are an integral part of Spanish cuisine and this recipe lends itself to a tapas situation. There is nothing to stop you serving these as part of an Italian antipasto or a side dish or a just plain appetizer.
They are best served slightly warm but can be served at room temperature. You can store leftovers in your fridge for at least a week assuming they are coated in the olive oil. Gently reheat them in the microwave if you are serving them again.
You can get creative with the marinade as well. Think of what you see in a gourmet olive bar. You could replace the lemon with orange; switch up the red pepper flakes for a spicier pepper or replace the red wine with gin!
However you choose to serve them- enjoy!
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 5 minutes |
| Servings |
cups
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- 3 cups plain unpitted olives
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic sliced thinly
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
- 1 lemon
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 Tbsps red wine vinegar
Ingredients
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- Drain olives and reserve olives in the jar.
- Zest the lemon. Take about 3 slices of lemon and cut into tiny pieces ensuring there is no pith.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet and add garlic slices. After a minute or so when garlic just starts to turn colour, add the remaining ingredients. Heat for about 1 more minute.
- Remove from heat and pour over the olives in the jar.
- These are best served warm but you can also serve at room temperature. If necessary reheat olives gently in the microwave until just warm.