Marinated Olives With Feta, Lemon And Garlic

Close up of a shallow bowl with marinated olives in olive oil, lemon peel, feta cheese, and herbs.

Marinated Olives With Feta, Lemon And Garlic

These marinated olives with feta, lemon, and garlic are the quickest, most delicious appetizer you will ever make and the one that will wow your guests.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Greek

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

Servings

Calories 196kcal

Author by Jenny | The Greek Foodie

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves sliced
1 chili pepper sliced
1 cup olives pitted
1 lemon
⅔ cup feta cheese

For serving

1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves

Instructions

Slice the garlic and chili pepper.
Remove two to three long strips of peel from a lemon using a vegetable peeler.
Slice or scrape the white pith off from the back of the lemon peel.
In a skillet, add ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil, the sliced garlic, lemon peel and sliced chili pepper and cook over medium heat for two-three minutes. Add the olives and cook for five minutes.
Break the feta into bite-size pieces and put it in a shallow bowl.
Pour over the olives, garlic, chilies, and all the olive oil.
Zest the other half of the lemon on top.
Serve immediately with crusty bread. Enjoy!

Notes

The key to this dish is the quality of the ingredients.

Olives: I suggest you visit a Mediterranean or Greek grocer and get a variety of olives. Certain stores have an olive bar where you can choose and package your own olives. It's up to you whether you choose pitted olives or not. Rinse the olives of any brine they may come in before marinating. See the post for our quick guide to Greek olives.

Extra virgin olive oil. Get the best extra virgin olive oil for your budget. Avoid blends as they are of inferior quality and most contain questionable vegetable oils. One of my favorite extra virgin olive oils is Athena Kolymvari Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Crete. You can find it at Shoprite, Whole Foods, Titan Foods and other supermarkets.

Chili pepper. Substitute with a teaspoon (or more) of chili flakes.

Feta cheese. The most famous Greek cheese always comes in a block and in brine. Choose a good quality feta. Avoid pre-crumbled in a plastic container as it is dry and tasteless. The same goes for fat-free feta; it does not exist in Greece. Good brands of feta widely available in the USA are Dodoni and Vikos. Trader Joe's also has good Greek feta in brine.

Lemon. You will use the zest as well as a few strips of lemon peel. It adds a freshness and a citrusy flavor to the dish.

Nutritional Info – Please remember that the nutritional information provided is only estimated and can vary based on the products used.

Nutrition