How to season green olives at home

Few pleasures compare to sitting at the table with a good plate of olives prepared by yourself. But if you’ve never done it before, you’re probably wondering how to season green olives yourself at home, so you can enjoy that pleasure without having to go to the supermarket. Let us tell you in advance that seasoning is an exercise in patience and care. It’s about transforming a bitter fruit into an irresistible delicacy.

We love it and, for that reason, at Olivarte we’re going to tell you how to make olive seasoning step by step, from sweetening to choosing the seasoning itself, so you can achieve that authentic, irresistible flavor.

The first thing when seasoning olives is to remove the bitterness

The first step, before thinking about the recipe for seasoning olives, is to prepare the fruit. You may not know this, but freshly picked olives contain oleuropein, a substance that makes them extremely bitter. To eliminate it, you can choose between these two methods depending on how you want your olives to look:

1. Whole olives: They take longer to lose their bitterness (between 10 and 15 days, changing the water daily), but they stay firm for longer.
2. Cracked or crushed olives: By breaking the flesh, the water penetrates better and the bitterness disappears in just 4 to 6 days. This is the ideal technique if you want to try your seasoned olives as soon as possible.

It is essential that during this process the olives are always covered with water and that you use glass containers, as metal or plastic could alter their flavor.

The brine: how much salt to add to olives?

Once the bitterness is gone (we recommend tasting one to make sure), it’s time for preservation. The key to how to season olives safely lies in the brine; a solution of water with a high concentration of salt that is used to preserve and cure the olives.

But, how much salt to add to olives? We go with the "egg" rule: fill a container with water and gradually add salt while stirring. When a fresh egg floats and a surface the size of a two-euro coin shows above the water, the concentration is perfect.

In terms of weight, we’re talking about about 60-80 grams of salt per liter of water. This base is fundamental so that the olive seasoning does not spoil.

Spices and ingredients for seasoning olives

This is where creativity comes into play. The Ingredients for seasoning olives vary depending on the geographical area, but there are basics that never fail and that you can't do without.

Also, to achieve a spectacular result, the spices for seasoning olives should be as natural as possible. We recommend these:

• Garlic: Always crushed so it releases its juice.
• Lemon or orange: They provide an acidity that balances the fruit's natural fat.
• Aromatic herbs: Thyme, rosemary, oregano, and bay leaf are the pillars of how to season green olives.
• Pepper and onion: To give a crunchy and sweet touch.

How to season olives step by step

If you're looking for a quick guide on how to season olives, here is our favorite proposal, balanced and full of nuances. Grab a pen and paper, and take note:

• Preparation: Place the already sweetened olives in clean jars.
• Aromatization: Add to the olives some crushed garlic cloves, pieces of red pepper, lemon slices, and a couple of bay leaves.
• The spice touch: Add a mix of thyme and dried oregano.
• Filling: Cover everything with the brine we prepared earlier. Make sure there is no air left at the top.
• The Golden Seal: This is where our main character comes into play. To seal the jar and prevent the olives from oxidizing on contact with air, add a layer of good extra virgin olive oil. This not only helps with preservation, but also infuses the olive seasoning with unique fruity notes.

The importance of EVOO in your preserves

Connecting table seasoning with oil is natural. Quality olives deserve to be bathed in the best olive juice possible. At Olivarte we always highlight that EVOO acts as a vehicle for flavor.

When you use it in your recipes for seasoning green olives, you allow the flavors of the garlic and herbs to blend perfectly. Also, when you go to serve them, a drizzle of early harvest oil on top right before serving will make it the best seasoning for olives.

Tips for making your olive dressing

To finish, we are going to give you some key tips to make sure your olive dressing turns out perfect:

• Patience: Once dressed, wait at least a week before eating them. The flavors need time to penetrate the flesh.
• Hygiene: Always use wooden or plastic utensils to take the olives out of the jar. If you use your fingers or dirty metal, you can contaminate the brine and cause “madre” (a whitish layer) to form.
• Variety: It’s not the same to dress green Manzanilla olives as it is a harder variety like Gordal. Adjust the sweetening times according to the size.

Now that you know how to dress olives, do you feel like preparing your own jar of seasoned olives this year? Remember that the final secret will always be in the quality of the raw ingredients and, of course, in that final touch of our best oil.