8 Awesome Uses for Olive Brine (2024)

First, the basics of cooking with olive brine:

• Taste the brine before you add it to your food so you know what you are working with: How salty is it? How olive-y is it?
• Olive brine is naturally salty so add slowly if are cooking with other salty ingredients such as pancetta or anchovies.
• Keep in mind that if you are heating the brine, the salt will concentrate as it cooks resulting in a much more intense flavor.
• For the best flavor, don’t store olive brine in the can once it’s opened. If you aren’t using the brine right away, you can store it in Tupperware either in the refrigerator (up to 1 week) or the freezer (up to 2 months).
• When considering what brine to use, like that from black or green olives, simply go with your gut (no pun intended) and pick what you like. Although they have distinct flavors, the way you use them remains the same.
• Don’t limit yourself to just olive brine! Explore pickled peppers, capers or other veggies for unique and different flavors.

OK, enough with the rules — let’s get to the good stuff! Here are some ideas for how to use Lindsay olive brine:

1. Add brine to your marinara or pizza sauce. This is particularly great with a spicy puttanesca or vodka cream sauce.
2. Try a vinaigrette of olive oil, fresh grapefruit juice, white wine vinegar, olive brine and Dijon mustard. Serve with a butter lettuce and avocado salad.
3. Add brine and red pepper flakes to homemade (super easy!) ketchup for a great olive flavor that is, of course, terrific on a burger or with French fries.
4. You can add olive brine to a martini of course, but try adding it into your Bloody Mary mix at your next brunch. And since you’re serving brunch, a touch of olive juice in soft scrambled eggs with mascarpone and chives is an excellent addition.
5. Make a flavored aioli by adding olive brine and orange zest. Slather on sandwiches (especially tuna salad), or dollop on grilled tuna or salmon.
6. We’ll put homemade hummus on our “worth the effort” list every time. Try substituting half the chickpeas for white beans and adding olive brine to taste. Serve hummus on crostini with a drizzle of olive oil and finely chopped fresh rosemary.
7. Make a fantastic slaw of fennel, apple, and celery or purple cabbage, carrot and jalapeño and add olive brine to the dressing. Let this chill in the refrigerator to let flavors really shine.
8. Adding broth to greens such as kale, broccoli rabe or chard after lightly sautéing with olive oil is a great way to impart flavor. Next time, swap the broth for olive brine!

See brine in action!

Check out this absolutely gorgeous dish from food blogger Liren Baker from Kitchen Confidante that features brine as a star ingredient!

Print your $1.00 off coupon and go get your brine on!