Food & Cooking Recipes Ingredients 27 Recipes to Make Using Salty, Delicious Olives By Kelly Vaughan Kelly Vaughan Kelly is a former associate digital food editor for MarthaStewart.com. Editorial Guidelines Updated on December 16, 2020 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Johnny Miller Available in an array of sizes and colors, olives bring a savory, salty quality to so many recipes. From basic appetizers that wow to family-friendly dinners, such as the Braised Chicken with Potatoes, Olives, and Lemon, pictured here, we're sharing over two dozen different ways to use olives. And if you're new to the world of olives, we have a guide that outlines 12 different varieties so you can choose the right one for your recipe. Olives bring meaty, briny, and aromatic quality to any recipe, which is why they're especially popular in Mediterranean cooking. Olives pair well with fish and poultry, but can also instantly—and elegantly—elevate a recipe such as roasted cauliflower, a citrus salad, and even deviled eggs. Toss them with roasted vegetables at the end of the cooking process so that they become warm, but still maintain their texture. Or garnish them raw on top of a salad as a contrast to sweet fruit, nuts, and delicate greens. One of the easiest ways and more delicious ways to enjoy olives is by marinating them in warm olive oil with herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves, citrus zest, and peppercorns. You can snack on them alongside a cheeseboard, bring them to a holiday gathering or dinner party, or even present them as a fabulous homemade hostess gift. We also have a simple recipe for olive tapenade, which uses a variety of mixed olives for a basic spread that you can put on sandwiches, pizza, or even whirl into scrambled eggs. From Kalamata to Manzanilla, Castelvetrano, and more, get to know the wonders of olives with these delicious recipes that let them shine. 01 of 26 Warm Olives with Cracked Coriander Justin Walker The perfect accompaniment to a cheese and charcuterie board, Castelvetrano olives are warmed in a skillet with extra-virgin olive oil, coriander seeds, and bay leaves. They're best served warm with crusty bread on the side. View Recipe 02 of 26 Charred Cauliflower with Clementines and Olives Marcus Nilsson Salty Kalamata olives and sweet, juicy Clementines are a fabulous pairing for sliced and roasted cauliflower that's drizzled with a simple vinaigrette. View Recipe 03 of 26 Chicken-and-Polenta Puttanesca Melts Kate Sears This one-skillet dinner is inspired by the classic briny puttanesca sauce; it's made with 3/4 cup mixed pitted olives, capers, and garlic. View Recipe 04 of 26 Gruyère, Anchovy, and Olive Straws Paola + Murray Upgrade the hors d'oeuvres at your next gathering with these super savory straws made with all-butter puff pastry and a paste made with Niçoise olives, capers, and fresh thyme. View Recipe 05 of 26 Baked Chicken Legs with Chickpeas, Olives, and Greens Johnny Miller Chicken gets a boost from a spice rub made from toasted coriander seeds, orange zest, Aleppo pepper, and thyme leaves. The chicken bakes in one pan with chickpeas and shallots until the meat is tender and other ingredients have fully caramelized. Olives are stirred into the mixture at the very end. View Recipe 06 of 26 Beef Braciole with Olives and Raisins Chris Simpson This Italian-American classic is packaged with a flavorful stuffing made from pimento-stuffed green olives, raisins, fresh parsley leaves, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. The beef cooks for nearly two hours until it becomes totally fork-tender. View Recipe 07 of 26 Citrus and Green Olives with Goat Cheese Lennart Weibull How stunning is this vegetarian starter? And it couldn't be simpler to make—all you need to do is arrange an assortment of citrus segments with mixed green olives, goat cheese, and plenty of extra-virgin olive oil on a platter, then serve with crusty bread on the side. View Recipe 08 of 26 Orecchiette, Celery, and Olive Salad with Ricotta Salata Ren Fuller No ordinary pasta salad here! This vegetarian recipe pairs two kinds of salty cheese—Parmigiano-Reggiano and Ricotta Salata—with fennel, chopped celery and celery leaves, Castelvetrano olives, and hearty chickpeas. View Recipe 09 of 26 Mixed-Olive Tapenade William Abranowicz Here's what your cheese board is missing—a rich tapenade made with a cup of mixed olives (we love a mix of Niçoise, Kalamata, and Castelvetrano olives), capers, anchovy fillets, extra-virgin olive oil, and garlic. Everything is warmed in a skillet until just heated through. View Recipe 10 of 26 Lemony Olive-and-Cream-Cheese Toast Ngoc Minh Ngo Looking for a spectacular snack or easy lunch? This four-ingredient toast, which comes together in five minutes, is made with whole-grain bread, cream cheese, pitted Kalamata olives, and lemon. View Recipe 11 of 26 Marinated Artichoke Hearts with Green Olives and Mozzarella Con Poulos In this light and bright vegetarian appetizer, globe artichokes are first poached in water, then marinated with mild green olives, lots of extra-virgin olive oil, peppercorns, thyme sprigs, lemon zest, and garlic. View Recipe 12 of 26 Olive, Fig, and Honey Tapenade Matt Russell Salty black olives and sweet figs are a genius pairing. Whir them in a food processor with walnuts, capers, honey, and extra-virgin olive oil until a paste comes together; serve this unusual tapenade as an accompaniment to a cheese board. View Recipe 13 of 26 Pasta Peperonata with Tuna and Olives Lennart Weibull This colorful pasta recipe uses Kalamata olives in a new and unexpected way: alongside other powerhouse ingredients such as juicy cherry tomatoes, golden raisins, basil, tuna packed in olive oil, and plenty of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. View Recipe 14 of 26 Grilled Halibut Steaks with Potatoes, Olives, and Onions Christopher Testani Meaty halibut can certainly handle the heartiness of baby potatoes, cippolini onions, mixed olives, and a sharp Dijon vinaigrette in this summer stunner of a dinner. View Recipe 15 of 26 Date, Olive, and Goat-Cheese Tart Louise Hagger An unexpected and creative twist on a classic cheeseboard appears here in the form of a puff pastry tart shell filled with cream cheese, goat cheese, Medjool dates, Kalamata olives, and our homemade Quick Pickled Chiles. View Recipe 16 of 26 Mortadella, Artichoke-Heart, and Olive Crostini Meredith Jenks Entertain in style with this canapé that uses olives. Anchovy paste, mortadella, artichoke wedges, and sliced black olives are layered on slices of crusty bread for a memorable bite. View Recipe 17 of 26 Pickled Red Onions and Olives Bryan Gardner Next time you're looking to add sharp acidity and saltiness to a sandwich, pizza, or salad, this quick pickle is just the thing. Large green olives and sliced red onion soak in white vinegar for one week until they're ready to be served. View Recipe 18 of 26 Bluefin Tuna with Olive, Cucumber, and Cilantro Relish Take a tour of the Mediterranean with this gorgeous entrée. To make the relish, combine peeled, diced cucumbers with pitted mixed olives, fresh cilantro leaves, lemon juice, and olive oil before serving it over seared tuna. View Recipe 19 of 26 Chorizo, Parsnip, and Olive Bites Bryan Gardner These mini kebabs are totally inspired for fall. Thread roasted parsnips on a skewer, followed by warm chorizo slices and pitted green olives for a seasonally appropriate bite. View Recipe 20 of 26 Olive and Cheese Loaf You won't need toppings or spreads for your bread if something tasty is already baked into it. Case in point: this rustic loaf loaded with Gruyere and slices of green Spanish olives. View Recipe 21 of 26 Roasted Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes, Olives, and Feta RYANE LIEBE A half-cup of pitted Spanish olives gives this roasted chicken dish a briny bite. View Recipe 22 of 26 Roast Pork with Fennel, Chiles, and Olives Ryan Liebe Add a cup of mixed olives to the roasting pan for the pork loin's final five minutes of cooking for added texture and saltiness. View Recipe 23 of 26 Olive-Garlic Deviled Eggs Mike Krautter For a twist on deviled eggs, throw pitted olives into the food processor along with the egg yolks and garlic. View Recipe 24 of 26 One-Pan Orecchiette with Chickpeas and Olives Alpha Smoot It doesn't get easier than this: Combine all the ingredients—including Kalamata olives—in one pot and cook until the pasta is al dente and the liquid is reduced to a sauce. View Recipe 25 of 26 Sausage and Olives Pizza Top a sausage pizza with both black and green olives for an extra kick. View Recipe 26 of 26 Baked Cod with Olives Kirsten Strecker Brine-cured Kalamata olives plus capers and anchovies up the savory-tangy quotient of this cod dish. View Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit