A recipe for punchy and vibrant quick-pickled red onions that lend pop and crunch to everything from sandwiches to salads.
So far in 2010, I have been in a pretty serious food rut. We have been braising and roasting, cooking with broth, and making gratins. While it is really delicious comfort food, after a while I need something fresh. In the past week, though, I have been cooking myself out of the rut, and really enjoying local hoop house kale and spinach, squash, beets, and onions. Mostly, I am just roasting the squash and tossing it with chopped kale, diced onion, pinto beans, preserved lemon (obviously a staple of mine), and a light vinaigrette. For a while cooking just wasn’t bringing me the solace it usually does, but I’ve cooked my way back into the kitchen.
Cooked and pickled, actually. These quick-pickled red onions were made to accompany hamburgers, but also make a great, if bracing, snack. They are steeped with apple cider vinegar, and, if you believe everything you read on the internet, apple cider vinegar is some kind of miracle juice.
These quick-pickles have a bit of crunch, but if you’d like a softer pickle you can cut the onions into thinner slices and steep the onions a bit longer.
A recipe for punchy and vibrant quick-pickled red onions that lends pop and crunch to everything from sandwiches to salads, adapted from Molly Wizenberg's recipe here.
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 large red onions cut into circles 1/4 - 1/2" thick
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In a large, non-reactive saucepan, combine everything but the onions and bring to a boil. When brine boils, add onions and remove from heat.
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Cover pan and let sit for 20 minutes. Uncover and bring pickles to room temperature; then seal in a quart jar and chill 2 hours or longer.
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Pickles will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.
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Drain pickled onions slightly before piling onto your burger.
Great post for preserving onions over a longer period of time. I sometimes do a quick pickling by letting red onions sit in vinegar for at least 20 minutes. Sometimes, I use cucumbers for Asian dishes.
Hi Sanura, I like the idea of a no-cook pickled onion. Next time burgers are on tap I'll give that a try.
ooh yum….i'm goona try that out, thanks brooklyn supper..xo
If you do try it, let us know. Also, maybe you can come up with some exotic island pickles–pickled coconut?
Hey
Do these come out with a sweet taste to them?
Im looking for a pickled red onion recipe that i can put on fresh salads…like they serve in restaurants
but i like them softer…not crispy
I would say these have a bit or bite from the vinegar. If you are after something milder, maybe try subbing one third of the vinegar for water, and adding more honey or a few tablespoons of sugar. Also, if you'd like them to be softer, just slice the onions on the thin side and let them cure a little longer.
Coming from England I enjoyed this recipe……… I added a table spoon of sugar just gave them a hint of sweetness and sliced them finer. I smoke meats as a hobby and I served them in Brisket and Pulled pork wraps.
Thanks Graham.
I love snacking on onions..And pickles, so I’ll have to give these a go. I make refrigerator cucumber pickles with apple cider vinegar. Recipe is close, but without the honey.
Does this pickle have to be refrigerated immediately? I am wishing to mail some to friends and family. Would it go bad?
Hi Pike, Quick pickles are not shelf stable, and cannot be left at room temperature. If you want to preserve them, you’ll need to find a recipe for fermented or heat-processed pickles. This recipe must be refrigerated to be safe.
love that you used honey rather than sugar