Marinated Olives with Cheese and Salami

Marinated olives with cheese and salami is incredibly flavorful and incredibly low carb! This dish works great as a side or as an appetizer.

We combine fresh and delicious ingredients to make this marinated olives with cheese and salami salad. Combining two kinds of olives with mozzarella cheese and salami is an awesome start. But then we toss them in a flavorful vinaigrette to top off our salad. I love to serve this as an appetizer, and it also works great as a side salad!

Let’s talk about our marinade!

I called this a marinade since we allow our ingredients to marinate in it. But since we’re not draining any of it off, it can also be considered a vinaigrette dressing for our salad. To make our vinaigrette, we combine olive oil, champagne vinegar, lime juice, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Recipes will often say to use a “high quality” olive oil. And while I absolutely agree with this, it doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money to get this. I’ve tried lots of olive oils and my everyday go-to is the Kirkland brand of organic extra virgin olive oil. Champagne vinegar has a lighter and more delicate taste than white wine vinegar, but you can absolutely use white wine vinegar for this dish if you’d like. I like to use fresh lime juice when possible, but you can use bottled as well.

Can I make any substitutions for this marinated olives with cheese and salami dish?

You have some great options for making this salad your own! For olives, I used a combination of black olives and green olives stuffed with pimentos. I love the combination of colors and flavors using this combination. Alternately, you can use all black olives or all pimento stuffed olives for your dish. You can also make up your own combination using a variety of olives. A couple of great choices are Kalamata and Castelvetrano olives. Since Kalamata olives are quite salty, you may want to add less salt to your vinaigrette if you use them. Castelvetrano olives are large green olives that have a firm texture and a mild taste. I used mozzarella cheese, but some nice substitutions would include cheddar, colby, colby jack, gouda, gruyere, or havarti just to name a few. I used salami for my salad, but you could substitute with a similar sausage if you’d like.

How can I serve this marinated olives with cheese and salami dish?

You have some awesome options for serving this dish. You can leave the rosemary sprigs in the salad or remove them before serving if you’d prefer. This is a great salad to serve as an appetizer, and it makes an awesome addition to a meat and cheese tray, relish tray, or to a charcuterie board. It can also be served as a side salad for any number of keto meals. You can pair it with any kind of meat. It goes well with  anything from burgers, grilled chicken, and brats, to steaks, roasts, and seafood mains. You can also serve this delightful salad with meatloaf, meatballs, pulled chicken, or pulled pork. It also pairs well with all kinds of keto casseroles. For a lighter option, you can serve this salad with a keto soup and perhaps a side of keto biscuits, cornbread, or English muffins.  

Here are some chicken mains that would pair perfectly with this salad!

Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken Leg Quarters

Easy Baked Harissa Chicken Thighs

Low Carb Dill Pickle Brined Chicken Drumsticks

Oven Baked Split Chicken Breasts

Helpful Hints:

*You can use different types of olives for this dish if you’d prefer.

*If you refrigerate this salad long enough, the olive oil will naturally solidify. If so, you can simply set it out at room temperature for 30-45 minutes before serving, and it will change back to its liquid state.

Main Kitchen Equipment and Utensils:

• Medium mixing bowl
• Measuring spoons

Splash of Encouragement:

***The most flavorful salads can often be made with just a few simple delicious ingredients***