Pickled red onions are the one homemade pickle that I have made in the past. They're a common Mexican side dish, and I've often made them to serve with grilled Mexican meals. Also, I used this recipe to preserve all the small red onions that came out of our garden last year.
*That's something you'll hear me say a lot this week - pickling is a great way to use the bounty of your garden. We're getting overrun right now, and pickling is a great way to preserve produce for later in the year.
My brother-in-law Travis made some pickled red onions while he was at our summer cottage, and I had them a about a week later on a hamburger. After that, I was putting them on my sandwiches for the rest of the week - they make a great sandwich topping.
*Thanks, Travis!
This recipe is an based on one from David Lebovitz, who I've mentioned before - David is "our man in Paris". I trust his information on food in the City of Light more than any other source.
*Oh, and his recipes happen to be great as well. Especially if you love chocolate
or ice cream
.
📖 Recipe Card
Pickled Red Onions
- Total Time: 24 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 quart 1x
Description
Thinly sliced red onions pickled in spiced vinegar - a Mexican side dish that's also a great topping for tacos, burgers and sandwiches.
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 2 large red onions, thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 dried chile pepper, rinsed
Pickling Liquid
- 2 cups white vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 10 whole cloves
Instructions
- Prep the vegetables: Pack the sliced onions, crushed garlic and dried chile into the jar.
- Make the pickling liquid: Combine the pickling liquid ingredients in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes to open up the flavor of the spices.
- Pour the liquid over the onions: Carefully pour the hot pickling liquid into the jar until the vegetables are covered. (For a less rustic look, pour it through a fine mesh strainer to strain out the herbs and spices.)
- Refrigerate: Let cool to room temperature, close the lid, and refrigerate. They're best after at least 1 day in the refrigerator, and even better after a week.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
Equipment: A clean quart jar with a tight fitting lid - canning jars or flip top gasket jars are the usual choices. I pour the pickling liquid into a Pyrex 2-quart measuring cup first, then into the jar - the spout makes it much less messy.
See my pickling vegetables basic technique for more details.
The pickles will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. If you see fur or fuzz growing on top of the liquid, throw them out.
Pickled red onions are a traditional Mexican side dish, and they're great with tacos - especially beef tacos. Use them anywhere you'd use raw or grilled onions: on hot dogs, burgers and sandwiches, with grilled meats, or in potato salad.
Sweet onions: You can use some sweet (Vidalia) onions in place of the red onions. Red onions turn the pickling liquid a bright red, so a mix gives you a more muted color.
Wedges: Cut each onion into 8 wedges instead of thin slices. It looks better, but thin slices are easier to use.
Other spices: David Lebovitz uses allspice berries instead of coriander.
Lime juice: Add some lime juice to the pickling liquid - this is also traditional in Mexico.
Adapted from David Lebovitz's Pickled Red Onions.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Refrigerate: 1 day
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
Questions? Comments? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts: Click here for my Pickled Vegetables basic technique.
Adapted From:
Pickled Red Onions [davidlebovitz.com]
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