Delicious, crispy sausage-stuffed olives, deep-fried and served with a squeeze of lemon and a simple garlic sour cream dip. These make a fantastic appetizer or snack for weekend nibbles with drinks or to serve at your next party.
These little bites are seriously addictive.
Deep-fried stuffed olives are hugely popular in Italy, commonly served as an aperitivo with drinks. They’re crisp, savoury and highly moreish. While you can buy frozen versions in many Italian supermarkets, homemade ones are far superior in flavour and texture. If you want convenience, make a big batch and freeze them for a quick snack later.
Tip: Make a large batch and freeze them for a quick last-minute snack.
What to Stuff Them With
There are lots of delicious options for stuffing olives. This recipe uses Italian sausage for its aromatic spices—fennel, oregano and garlic—which pair perfectly with the briny olive. Here are other ideas:
- Any good-quality sausage (avoid very spicy varieties if you prefer a balanced flavour)
- Mozzarella or any good melting cheese (for firm cheeses, don’t cut the olives in half—insert small cubes into pitted olives)
- Ricotta or cream cheese
- Sun-dried tomato pesto
- Basil pesto
How to Make Sausage-Stuffed Olives – Step by Step
Prepare three separate dishes for plain flour, fine breadcrumbs and a beaten egg. In a bowl, combine the sausage meat with lemon zest and dried oregano and mix well.
Drain the pitted olives, rinse and pat dry. Cut each olive in half, place a small amount of sausage (about 1/2 tsp) inside and press the halves back together. Repeat until all olives are filled.
Season the flour, breadcrumbs and beaten egg with a pinch of salt and pepper. Working in batches, dredge each stuffed olive in flour, shake off excess, dip in the beaten egg and coat thoroughly with breadcrumbs. For a neater result, cup each olive in your hand and roll gently to create a rounder shape.
Pour sunflower oil into a large, heavy pot and heat to frying temperature. Test the oil with a small piece of bread; when it sizzles and browns, it’s ready. Fry the olives in batches until golden and crisp, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Scatter over chopped parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
To make the garlic sour cream dip, mix finely chopped parsley with soured cream (or sour cream), season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the olives warm with the dip and lemon wedges.
In Italy, fried stuffed olives are often served on their own with drinks, but a dip and lemon work wonderfully at parties—everyone loves a dip.
More Easy Appetizers to Try
- Easy marinated olives
- Stracchino and sausage crostini
- Bruschetta al pomodoro – tomato bruschetta
- Cecina Toscana – Tuscan chickpea flatbread
- Ricotta-stuffed zucchini flowers
If you try this recipe, please rate it and share your feedback in the comments—I love hearing from readers!
Step By Step Photos Above
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Fried Sausage Stuffed Olives
By Emily
Ingredients
For the stuffed olives
- 1 1/2 cups (340g) pitted olives
- Zest of half a lemon
- 3.5 oz (100g) Italian sausage
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 cup (70g) plain flour
- 1 cup (100g) fine breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, beaten
- Salt and pepper
- 3.5 cups (1 l) sunflower oil, for frying
- Lemon wedges (optional), for serving
For the dip
- 1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped plus extra for garnish
- Soured cream or sour cream
- Pinch of salt and pepper
Instructions
- Add the sausage to a bowl with lemon zest and oregano. Mash with a fork until well combined.
- Rinse the olives in cold water and dry with paper towel. Cut each olive in half, stuff with about 1/2 tsp sausage, then press the halves together to close.
- Place flour and breadcrumbs on separate plates and the beaten egg in a bowl. Season each with a tiny pinch of salt and pepper. In batches, coat the stuffed olives in flour, dip in egg, then roll in breadcrumbs.
- Heat sunflower oil in a large pot. Test with a piece of bread—when it sizzles and turns golden, the oil is ready. Fry olives in batches until golden and crispy, remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Scatter with chopped parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
- For the dip, combine chopped parsley with sour cream, season to taste and serve alongside the olives.
Notes
- Make a large batch and freeze for a fast snack later.
- After dusting with flour, cup the olives in your hand and shake gently to remove excess flour before dipping in egg.
- Roll crumbed olives gently in your palm to form a rounder, more uniform shape.
Stuffing ideas: any good-quality sausage, mozzarella or other melting cheeses, ricotta, sun-dried tomato pesto or spinach and ricotta.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I usually use extra virgin olive oil for most recipes unless noted otherwise.
- When using canned or jarred tomatoes I recommend reputable brands for better flavour.
- All recipes are tested in a fan (convection) oven unless stated otherwise.
- Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
Nutrition
Carbohydrates: 28 g |
Protein: 7 g |
Fat: 12 g |
Saturated Fat: 2 g |
Cholesterol: 29 mg |
Sodium: 1005 mg |
Fiber: 3 g
Nutrition information is approximate.
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