Well, believe it or not, olives are NOT meant to be eaten straight out of the brine (as many of us do). The way to desalt them is rather simple:

1. drain the brine,
2. put the olives in a bowl,
3. add water in it,
4. change the water every 1 hour…

…. until the salt level drops down to something you can handle.

Storage

Put the olives in a jar (or jars) and add olive oil to the brim – otherwise it may become rancid over time. The olive oil you’ll use for storage does not have to be first quality extra virgin olive oil. Regular olive oil will do. You can also use the olive oil for cooking after the olives are gone. Just strain it to remove residues – if any.