Azeitonas Marinadas à Portuguesa (Portuguese Cracked Olives with Garlic and Oregano)

Before there was a charcuterie board, there was a little bowl of olives on the table. In Portugal, no café, tasca, or grandmother’s kitchen is complete without azeitonas, usually cracked, garlicky, and sharp with vinegar. They arrive before you order, and they are the first sign that someone cares about you. My grandmother in Trás-os-Montes cracked them on a flat stone with a hammer, and I still remember the sound.

The method is very simple. You smash the olives so the marinade can get in, then let them sit in olive oil, garlic, oregano, lemon peel, and a little vinegar for a day or two. That is it. The result tastes like a serious Portuguese petisco, and it is a thousand times better than the dusty olives from the salad bar. Serve them alongside Queijo Fresco Caseiro (recipe on the site), slices of Chouriço Assado (recipe on the site), or Tremôços (recipe on the site).

Lucas, my savory quality control manager, can finish a bowl of these during a single episode of his cartoons. Sofia picks out the garlic like a tiny, determined detective. I make a double batch every time because they disappear and because they make a perfect last-minute gift in a jar.

Azeitonas Marinadas Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes · Cook time: 0 minutes (plus 24 hours marinating) · Total: 24 hours 15 minutes · Servings: 8 as an appetizer · Calories: ~95 per serving

Ingredients

• 1 lb (450 g) green olives with pits, such as Manzanilla, Castelvetrano, or Cerignola
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed and roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 bay leaves
• Peel of 1 lemon, in wide strips, plus juice of ½ lemon
• ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1 dried piri-piri
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Instructions

1. Drain the olives and pat dry. Lay a few at a time on a cutting board and lightly crack each with the flat side of a knife, a meat mallet, or the bottom of a small pan until the flesh splits but the pit stays intact.
2. Place the cracked olives in a bowl or a clean quart jar. Add the garlic, oregano, bay leaves, lemon peel, lemon juice, pepper flakes, and vinegar.
3. Pour the olive oil over the olives and toss or shake to coat well.
4. Cover and marinate at room temperature for 2 hours, then refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Shake or stir the jar a few times.
5. Bring to room temperature and sprinkle with parsley before serving. Remember to warn guests about the pits.

Recipe Notes

• Brine-cured olives can be salty. If yours taste very salty, rinse and soak them in cold water for 30 minutes before cracking.
• You can use black or mixed olives, but green ones are the classic Trás-os-Montes style.
• Keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks, fully submerged in oil and brine, and shake occasionally. The oil may solidify in the fridge, so let the jar sit out 20 minutes before serving.
• Look for pitted olives only if you must; whole pitted ones have less flavor, and cracking whole olives is much more satisfying.