Citrusy Marinated Spanish Olives with Manchego

Meet my favorite super-easy, super crowd-pleasing appetizer! These marinated Spanish olives are tossed with citrus and herb-infused oil, and served with shards of buttery, nutty Manchego cheese. The appetizer comes together in minutes, and it’s amazing for a tapas party!

Author: Sunday Table

Meal Type: Vegetarian

Cuisine: Other

Difficulty: EASY

Prep. Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 16 servings

Calories: 169 kcal per serving

Ingredients

½ cup - good-quality olive oil
6 medium cloves - garlic
1 - orange
1 - lemon
3–4 sprig - fresh rosemary
1 - bay leaf
¼–½ tsp - red pepper
16 ounces - pitted Manzanilla olives
8 ounces - Manchego cheese
¼ cup - sherry vinegar

Instructions

In a large skillet, combine the olive oil, garlic cloves, orange rind, lemon rind, rosemary sprigs, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes. Place the pan on the stove over the lowest heat.
Gently heat the oil on the stove for 5-7 minutes, or until it smells very fragrant. Don't let it come to a simmer, you just want to infuse the oil. Remove the pan from the heat, and let the oil cool completely at room temperature.
While the oil is cooling, drain the olives in a colander. Transfer the drained olives to a large bowl.
Then, use clean hands to break the manchego cheese into shards. (The craggy edges pick up more infused oil!) Alternatively, you can slice the manchego into small cubes. Add the cheese to the bowl of olives.
Once the oil is completely cool, pour it over the olive-cheese mixture. Add the sherry vinegar, and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate the olives for at least 1 hour, but preferably overnight. If the oil solidifies in the fridge, let it come to room temperature for about 30 minutes, stir well, and serve.

Nutrition