Fried Olive Jalapeno Bites

If you’re thinking… fried olives? YES. These fried olive Jalapeno bites are little flavor bombs that are converting even my non-olive loving kids into olive lovers. I’m an olive lover through and through, and confess that I can eat way too many in one sitting-plain, just like that the can is gone. So while plain olives are a quick snack around here, these fried olives are leveling up and bringing the flavor to the party. Olives deserve to be highlighted and really savored in so many ways, even those that are not as common but oh so delicious! You won’t believe how a blend of simple ingredients can turn into a delightful side dish or appetizer. Simple ingredients and the right combination elevates the nutty and buttery rich taste of versatile California Ripe Olives.

Wondering what you’re going to bring to your next gathering? This is it! Whether you’re joining family for an Easter celebration, BBQ or birthday party this recipe has you covered. It transports easily and reheats wonderfully and you can pair it with your favorite dipping sauce. Even serve it as a side dish with a nice steak instead of potatoes. OR grab a bottle of wine and enjoy them on a girls night or date night.

Word of caution- just make extras, these will fly off the plates.

Olive and Jalapeno Combo?

One of my goals this year is to grow more Jalapeños in the garden. I enjoy them in so many ways salsas, stuffed and pickled so I making sure I go heavy on the jalapeno plants to have enough to pickle aside from eating fresh. So hopefully soon I’ll be making this recipe with my own jalapenos. Why does this Olive and Jalapeno combo work so well? Let me tell you! This quick to make dish may come in small bites but they are BIG on flavor. I am using green California Ripe olives for my recipe because the taste is buttery, rich and savory and pairs so well with the creamy inside that has a slightly spicy and bright flavor coming from the jalapenos.

My mouth is literally watering thinking about them now. So much to love, it’s everything from the rich buttery flavor of the CA olives stuffed with a luscious cream cheese blend with just the right amount of heat, but that’s not all. These little bites are floured and dipped into a thick creamy base that is packed with spices that will be the base for our crispy panko crust to hug our olives tight. The final product is a light, crispy and perfectly golden crusted olive that is stuffed with a creamy and spicy center that delivers the perfect crunch. Think of jalapeno poppers but in this case it’s the Olives that are popping, in the best possible way.

A little History on Olives..

Did you know olives were introduced to California by Missionaries? Olives had a surge in popularity in the 1800s. The demand for olive oil was high, but over the years the economy struggled and prices for oil dropped. As farmers struggled to get by, this birthed a pioneer of the California Ripe Olive movement as we know it today.

Freda Ehmann was a German immigrant who purchased an olive orchard in Northern California. Instead of caving to the difficulties of the time she got creative and with the help of a Berkeley professor she decided to figure something out for this unique fruit (YES olives are fruits!) she knew they had potential. Olives can’t be eaten without processing; they’re extremely bitter. She started experimenting with different recipes and brining methods to remove the bitterness, she was trailblazing right from her own home. Freda ended up creating the recipe for black olives that paved way for the California Ripe Olive movement. She found a way to create a delicious olive that was silky and full of flavor and many other farmers followed. Talk about women taking the lead and making powerful moves in agriculture, when it really wasn’t the norm. So impressive!

How are California Ripe Olives Grown?

I am utterly obsessed with how things grow and of course I have to touch base on how tons of olives are being processed right in my backyard (not literally but here in the sunny CA central valley ) Did you know that 95 % of commercial olives in the U.S are grown in California? And more specifically over 56% of the olive groves are located here in the CA central valley. Hundreds of farmers and their families work each year to bring California Ripe Olives from their farms to your table. The olive groves range from small 5-acre lots to 1,000-acre farms. 

Planting- Olive trees have a long lifespan as long as they are cared for, receive adequate water and pruning. They can live hundreds of years-some will most likely out live us! The California Central valley has the perfect Mediterranean climate for olive trees to thrive. Trees begin to bloom in May and ripen in the fall.

Harvesting– Olive trees are alternate bearing crops, which means while the harvest may be heavy one year, the next; may be a fraction of the previous year. California farmers are always innovating and in certain cases mechanical harvesters are used. In certain operations where spacing and size do not allow for mechanical harvesting, skilled farm workers carefully hand pick the fruit off the trees. Definitely a labor of love since one tree can produce 1,000 pieces of fruit in a season.

Processing-Olives are cured in a mild salt brine solution to remove bitterness. The process takes 7 days and they are pitted afterwards.. The curing process gives olives that signature taste that we are accustomed to when enjoying a California ripe olive in a meal or a snack.

How to get the Perfect Fried Olive:

It took some trial and error to figure out how to get the best coating on these olives, since they are so smooth, but I figured it out! They’re amazing and keep their shape while frying. The common; dip into flour, egg and then panko crumbs was not doing it for me. The Olives were unevenly coated and it was runny and not holding on to the delicious panko crust that I wanted, so I kept trying.

So here’s the trick we are stuffing the olive with our cream cheese and jalapeno mixture with the help of a piping bag and then lightly rolling them in flour. We are then preparing our thicker “base” as I call it, which includes the flour, egg, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and crushed red peppers. Once ready insert a toothpick into the floured olive for easy dipping (and no mess) dip into our “base” lightly tap to remove excess and gently place it into panko bread crumbs coating all sides. I like to completely coat one side and then flip it. Place aside while you coat all of them. This method gets the entire olive coated evenly. Biting into it is a party in your mouth.

Ingredients:

California Ripe Olives – I am using green California Ripe olives for this recipe. The olives are a bit smaller than the black making them just the right bite size after stuffing and coating, but honestly both would work great. Look for the CA GROWN label to ensure you are getting the freshest and best quality olives.

Ever wondered why some Olives are green and others black? It’s not because of their level of ripeness, this is because the olives that are exposed to oxygen in their curing chambers take on this dark and rich color. Those that are not exposed keep their green color! Olives are packaged in various forms sliced, chopped and whole and are then sent off to our grocery stores where these little gems are available year round.

Cream Cheese- Creamy and spreadable, the cream cheese adds a cheesy component that works so well to tone down the heat of the jalapenos.

Flour- We are using it in two ways, lightly dusting the olives before dipping into our “base” -a flour egg mixture this will grip onto that olive, ensuring the coating stays put through frying.

Water- Small amount of water is needed to hydrate the flour mixture.

Pickled Jalapenos- Here’s where you can choose how hot you want to go. I am using pickled jalapenos instead of fresh because the olives are getting fried only for a brief moment and using fresh would not be enough time to soften them up. Look for a crunchy jalapeno variety they usually can be found near the olive isle (see it was meant to be!) Choose either a mild or hot variety depending on your heat preference, but remember it’s a small amount that goes into each olive so even the hot jalapeños are toned down by the cream cheese and crusty panko.

Egg- Binding our olives to the flour, the eggs act as the glue to hold everything together and make sure it fries evenly.

Garlic powder- No savory meal is complete without some sort of garlic in it adding extra flavor.

Salt- Makes the flavors POP! We only need a small pinch of it since the olives are already savory and deliciously briny.

Smoked Paprika- is made by drying peppers over smoke and the result is unmatched and delicious. Giving smoky pepper notes without heat. So don’t skip this one it’s a must.

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – Give a bit of extra flavor and heat without being overly spicy.

Plain Panko Crumbs- When picking up panko crumbs look for unsalted, the olives are already perfectly salty and nutty and using a flavored breadcrumb would be overbearing. The panko crumb gives these Olive and jalapeno bites the right amount of crunch against the juicy and flavorful stuffed olive.

Storing and Reheating:

Reheating or timing can be tricky when making any meal but the great thing about these is that they reheat and still keep their crunch. Simply store them after they have completely cooled in an airtight container and place them in the fridge if they will be enjoyed later in the day or even the next day. Once ready to serve preheat the oven to 350 degrees and reheat for 12-13 minutes, it’s that easy! Set these olive and jalapeno bites front and center to be accompanied by the main meal or snack on them with a glass of wine. There are no wrong way to enjoy these! California Ripe olives are the perfect stuffing vessel, feel free to get creative with the stuffing of your choice. I am already thinking of other combos that would be wonderful.

Whether I’m being creative out in the garden or in the kitchen It really fulfills the same need for me. The need to be creative to make and bring a space or dish to life that only existed in my head. Have fun in the garden and the kitchen, there are no rules you may find that giving yourself permission to create is an outlet you didn’t know you needed.

This post was made in partnership with CA grown & California Ripe Olives all expressed opinions and recipes shared are my own. I am thankful to share about the bounty our state has to offer and recipes to make with in season produce. Check out other delicious and creative ways to use your California ripe Olives and more info on how they’re grown!