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Aceitunas aliñadas

Green olives with garlic and thyme

Aceitunas aliñadas: Seville-style cracked green olives dressed with garlic, thyme and fennel

Before any tapa reaches the bar in Seville, a little dish of aliñadas usually does: cracked green manzanilla or gordal olives steeped in brine with garlic, wild thyme, fennel and a strip of orange peel. Markets like Triana sell them by the scoop, but they are simple to dress at home from plain olives in brine. Give them two days; the herbs need time to get into the flesh. A common mistake is serving them after a day; they need at least two days in the brine for the garlic and herbs to reach the stone. Chef's tip: crack each olive with the flat of a knife until it just splits; a crushed olive goes soft and cloudy in the jar.
Total time
15 min
Difficulty
easy
Serves
8
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Ingredients

Serves8
  • 1 ⅛ lb green olives in brinemanzanilla or gordal, drained weight, with stones
  • 5 cloves garliclightly crushed
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 tsp fennel seedsor 2 wild fennel fronds
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 strips orange peelno white pith
  • ½ red peppercut into strips
  • ¼ cup sherry vinegar
  • 1 ¼ cups waterboiled and cooled
  • 1 tbsp salt

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Method

0/5 done
  1. Step 1: Rinse 1 ⅛ lb green olives in brine and crack each one lightly with the flat of a knife or a small mallet, so the flesh splits but the stone stays inside.

    10 min
  2. Step 2: Stir 1 tbsp salt into 1 ¼ cups water until dissolved, then add ¼ cup sherry vinegar.

  3. Step 3: Layer the olives in a 1-litre jar with 5 cloves garlic, 4 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp cumin seeds, 2 strips orange peel and ½ red pepper.

  4. Step 4: Pour the brine over so the olives are fully covered, close the jar and shake. Leave in the fridge for at least 2 days, shaking once a day, until the olives taste of garlic and herbs to the stone. They keep for 3 weeks in the fridge.

  5. Step 5: Serve at room temperature with a little of the brine and a few strips of pepper.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
95 kcal
Protein
1 g
Carbs
3 g
Fat
9 g
Fibre
3 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does aceitunas aliñadas take?
About 15 minutes in total.
How many people does it serve?
8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegan?
Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
Is it gluten free?
Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
What can I use instead of garlic?
½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
What can I use instead of fennel seeds?
Aniseeds, same amount (a stronger liquorice taste).

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