Marinated Olives with Lemon Confit
- PREP 10min
- COOK 1hrs 10min
- TOTAL 1hrs 20min
The star of this recipe is the lemon confit. The recipe makes about 1 cup. It will keep in the refrigerator up to a month so you can make multiple batches of the marinated olives.
You Will Need
Lemon Confit
4 large lemons
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup neutral flavored oil such as canola, safflower or grape seed
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 bay leaf, optional
Sea salt
Marinated Olives
Olives, we especially love green Cerignola or Castelvetrano olives
Extra-virgin olive oil
Crushed red chili flakes
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
Make Lemon Confit
Use a vegetable peeler to remove the yellow peel from lemons in long strips. Try not to peel away any of the white bitter pith. Squeeze about 1/3 cup of lemon juice — from 1 to 2 lemons.
Bring a small saucepan with water to a boil, add the lemon peel and leave in the boiling water for 10 seconds. Remove the peel and drain the water. Fill the saucepan with water for a second time. Bring to a boil then add the lemon peel and leave in the boiling water for 10 more seconds. Drain and wipe the pan dry.
Add the lemon juice, olive oil, canola oil, garlic and about 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the saucepan. Bring to a simmer then add the lemon peel and cook at a low simmer until the peel is soft and pliable, about 1 hour. Cool then store in an airtight container completely covered in oil.
Marinate Olives
Remove a few sliced of lemon confit (use a clean utensil). Finely chop. Add about 1 cup of olives, 2 tablespoons olive oil, red pepper flakes, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper to a small saucepan and heat just until warm over low heat. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- It might seem like overkill to double blanch the lemon peel, but this helps to make sure it is as clean as possible. It only adds an extra 5 minutes to the recipe and is worth it.
- Make Ahead: Lemon confit can be keep up to a month in the refrigerator. Make sure it is completely covered in oil and use a clean utensil when removing lemon. (This prevents contamination and bacteria from forming.)
- Recipe for preserved lemons has been inspired and adapted from Sondra Bernstein’s recipe on Epicurious.
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