As I was finishing up pickle week, I stumbled across this recipe for zucchini pickles from Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. I'm embarrassed that I didn't find it earlier. Zuni is one of my favorite restaurants in the world, and I've talked before about how influential the Zuni Cafe Cookbook has been on my cooking. I've also talked about how overrun by zucchini we are this time of year. But a recipe in the cookbook that I've looked through hundreds of times? Somehow, it managed to elude me.
In the spirit of better late than never, here it is. I like these pickles as much, if not more than, the cucumber pickles I made. Zucchini is always easier to find than good cucumber pickles, so I will be using this recipe again.
*And I love saying "Zuni Zucchini". It rolls off the tongue. Zunicchini. Yes, my seven year old self is never far from the surface...
📖 Recipe Card
Zucchini Pickles, Zuni style
- Total Time: 25 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: 1 quart 1x
Description
Thin-sliced zucchini and onion, brined, then pickled in sweet cider vinegar with mustard and coriander seeds. Adapted from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook.
Ingredients
Vegetables
- 1 pound zucchini or summer squash, sliced 1/16 inch thick
- ½ onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons table salt
Pickling Liquid
- 2 cups cider vinegar
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
Instructions
- Brine the vegetables: Toss the sliced zucchini and onion with the salt in a large bowl. Add cold water to just cover, and let sit for 1 hour. Drain, and dry thoroughly - a salad spinner helps get the moisture out. Pack the vegetables 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. For crisper pickles, let the liquid cool to room temperature before the next step.
- Pour the liquid over the zucchini: Carefully pour the 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.
I use my food processor's slicing disk to get the zucchini thin enough.
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.
Use these anywhere you'd use cucumber pickles - they're great on hamburgers and sandwiches.
The recipe scales easily - I tripled it for 3 pounds of zucchini and squash. Just keep the proportions the same.
Original spices: Judy Rodgers uses 1 ½ teaspoons mustard seeds, 1 ½ teaspoons ground mustard, and 1 teaspoon turmeric (for color) instead of the mustard and coriander seeds.
Adapted from Judy Rodgers's The Zuni Cafe Cookbook.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Brine and refrigerate: 1 day 1 hour
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
Questions? Comments? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts:
Click here for my Sorta Sour Pickled Cucumbers recipe.
Click here for my Pickled Vegetables basic technique.
Adapted From:
Judy Rodgers's The Zuni Cafe Cookbook
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