Marinated Olives with Walnuts (Zeytoon Parvardeh)
Mar 30, 2018, Updated Dec 28, 2020
This post may contain affiliate links.
Marinated olives made Persian style! Try delicious olives marinated with walnuts, pomegranate molasses and herbs – a fantastic combination that is full of flavor!
Olives are a big part of my food life, I simply cannot imagine a day goes by without me munching on a dozen olives, especially if I have these exceptionally delicious olives in my fridge!
Table of Contents
Can we please take a moment and talk about my obsession with pomegranates and walnuts? From Fesenjan and pomegranate chicken to pomegranate guacamole and walnut pomegranate cheese ball to stuffed fish with pomegranates and walnuts, my love for this unique combo is something I can’t deny. It’s the ultimate ingredient combo!
The recipe I’m showing you today represents two members of Team Good Fat: walnuts and extra virgin olive oil, both containing fat that is good for your body and are also very delicious! We try to use good fats in different recipes as much as possible because they help our bodies function better and make us feel so much better!
These Persian marinated olives, called Zeytoon Parvardeh, are another creation based on my favorite flavor combination. They’re a tasty twist on the usual marinated olives. They are tangy because of pomegranate molasses, nutty thanks to walnuts, and absolutely addictive. They are originally from the northern part of Iran, particularly Guilan province, and are usually made with Choochagh, a local herb that’s only found in northern Iran. Here in the US, the closest herb to that would be mint.
What makes this marinated olives recipe different than others?
The ingredients used in making these Persian style olives are what makes this recipe unique. the acidity of pomegranate molasses mixed with mint and infused into olives makes a great combo that is completed by the use of walnuts which bring creaminess and a subtle balance of flavor to the recipe.
How to make marinated olives with walnuts?
Start with olives. Green olives are best for this recipe. Place them in a bowl and add walnuts, chopped mint, garlic and walnuts to it. Next, add in pomegranate molasses and olive oil. Using a spoon, mix all the ingredients well until they’re fully combined. It’s important to refrigerate these for at least an hour before serving. However, I suggest refrigerating for one or two days so the flavors are fully infused and combined.
Notes and tips to make this Recipe:
- This Persian spicy marinated olives recipe with walnuts and pomegranates calls for green olives. Depending on the size of the olives, you can either use them whole or chopped.
- Walnuts can be used chopped or ground in this recipe. Traditionally, walnuts are ground and mixed with garlic, salt, mint, pomegranate molasses and olive oil to form a paste, then mixed with olives.
- The more these olives stay in the fridge, the tastier they get.
- If you’re a big garlic fan, add more than seven cloves to this recipe.
- Serve marinated olives with barbecue, grilled meat, rice dishes or even sandwiches.
These marinated olives are so dear to my heart that we used to have them every time we visited northern Iran, my dad would stop at this row of olive shops and we would go inside every shop, try their Zeytoon Parvardeh and buy some. We would literally buy them from every shop because each of them had their own personal addition that would make their recipe special and unique. Now here in America, far away from where these marinated olives where first born, I’m making my very own zeytoon parvardeh with walnuts that are just as good as the ones we used to have on the road. I’m so thankful that my food memory is strong enough to recreate flavors of years ago.
I hope you give this classic Persian recipe a try and enjoy it!
This post is sponsored by California Walnuts. As always, all opinions are mine. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Unicorns in the Kitchen.
More Persian Recipes
Persian Recipes
Fish Tahdig
Persian Recipes
Pan Seared Cod with Saffron Cream Sauce
Persian Recipes
Persian Date Omelette Recipe
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Please comment and leave a 5-star🌟 rating below. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter to get a free e-Cookbook!
Marinated Olives with Walnuts
Ingredients
Instructions
- Place the walnuts in a food processor and blend until finely chopped.
- Add in the garlic, mint and pomegranate molasses followed by salt and olive oil. Blend until a paste forms.
- Transfer to a bowl. Add in the olives and stir to combine. Make sure all the olives are well coated with the walnut mixture.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Have you made this recipe? Let us know by commenting and rating on this recipe. Take a picture and tag @unicornsinthekitchen and #unicornsinthekitchen for a chance to be featured!
These look amazing, thanks for sharing! Is there an ingredient that would substitute well for the molasses?
Hi Alex, the main flavor of these olives come from the pomegranate molasses so unfortunately there isn’t a substitute in this case.
hi Alex, you can add pomegranate juice. using juice is more traditional for this recipe!
amazing and delicious. I needed to add more oil to loosen the mixture but absolutely stunning. It reminds me of the tamarind sweet and sour chutney used to accompany Indian chaat, without the crunch of walnuts of course.
This was amazing !! Made it for the first time and I’m a terrible cook but following these instructions and the recipe .. it turned out so good
Thank you Katherine! I’m happy you enjoyed this recipe!
These made a delicious addition to a cheeseboard. Thanks for sharing!
I can not get enough of this olive dish. The salty sweet combo along with the crunch from the walnuts is everything I want!!
Done several times, always wonderful. Thank you
Thank you Marta, glad you enjoyed it 🙂
How long will they keep in the fridge? I want to serve them on Thanksgiving. They look amazing. I made my own pomegranate molasses yesterday. It’s delicious!
Hi Stacey, they keep in the fridge for up to 3 days!
Hi I have this marinating right now and I did half my olives. How should I serve it? With crackers?
Hi Carol, sorry for seeing this comment late. You can serve these marinated olives with cheese or as a side to your main dish.
Intriguing! When you say “fresh green olives”, I’m assuming that you don’t mean fresh off the tree, but rather pickled? So you mean in a simple brine, just salt mostly? I’d really like to try this.
Hi Avi, yes, actually I love using jarred olives and not the canned ones. The brine in the jarred ones taste so much better in my opinion 🙂
They look amazing. Is it possible to freeze them. How long will they last if frozen.
Thank you Ritu. Unfortunately these don’t freeze well but you can keep them in the fridge for up to a week. Hope this is helpful.
Thanks a lot for replying Shadi. I made them and they are delicious.
This looks yummy,want to try it…but in the picture we can see u r pouring in a dark vineger kind looking syrup.What is it?
That’s pomegranate molasses 🙂