Curing Olives in a Salt Brine

We’ve been getting a lot of requests for a recipe for salt curing olives, so we reached out to one of our chefs, Mark Rohrmeier, and he’s shared the below recipe. Here’s what you’ll need: olives, jars, jrine and marinade. Let us know how yours come out in the comments below (although, you may not remember, this process takes a while!). Also - If you’re also curious about curing olives in lye, click here.

Master Brine Recipe:

1 gallon of water 1 cup of sea salt ½ gallon mason jars with two-part lids *You won’t need this much if you only have a couple of jars of olives Dissolve sea salt in room temperature water. Fill jars with olives and fill with brine. Fold up a couple of inches of plastic wrap and push down on olives until the brine is covering the plastic which will help keep the olives submerged. Twist on the two-part lid and put the olives in a cool dark place for 8 to 12 months. Taste olives after 8-10 months and see if the flavor is acceptable for you. If the olives seem too bitter, put the jars back on the shelf and taste after another month or two until you like the flavor. After you are satisfied that the olives are done to your liking, rinse the olives and put in clean jars and add the marinade. If you have the ability to refrigerate the olives do so, otherwise store in a cool, dry place and use only a spoon to remove the olives as your hands have oils that could foul the marinade. There is a chance that the olives might get some mold on the marinade. If it’s black mold, the olives should be thrown out. Any mold that is not black should be alright, although we take no responsibility for your health if you’re following this recipe.

Master Marinade Recipe:

1 gallon of water 3 cups of distilled white vinegar 10 tablespoons of sea salt Minor blemishes tend to go away in the brining process so you will only need to sort them one time, after the brine. While you sort, look closely for holes and discoloration in the finished olives that may be because of the olive fruit fly. Discard any olives that are spongy or have soft spots, discoloration, and noticeable holes. If you prefer to simply buy cured olives, we offer a few options that are tempting.