With the notable exception of making 125 jars of strawberry jam for our wedding guests some 20 years ago and the occasional flirtation with infused oils, my adventures in canning, curing, pickling and preserving (beyond freezing) have been rather restrained.
And yet there is everything to love about this age-old practice. Sensible, economical and the ideal way to enjoy food captured at the peak of freshness throughout the year, notably during off-season. Plus, you get to think of yourself as a real home cook à la pioneer woman when you’re sterilizing bottles.
And then there’s the whole pantry envy thing – you know, those adorable jars of chutneys, salsas, relishes, jams & jellies you see laid out with colorful cloth tops on the shelves of those who have honed the craft or that you come across while browsing through country style magazines ~ those gorgeous panoramic spreads complete with lavender fields and vintage farm houses that leave you dizzy with desire as they cast a spell of enchantment.
Or is that just me?
Anyway, I think one of the things that’s kept me from getting my jam jaring mojo on is that these practices generally involve fastidious steps, not to mention exacting a hefty toll on your time. Taken together, good intentions sometimes fall short of actualization.
Enter these blushing pink pickled onions.
No fancy equipment or crushing time demands involved, just a clean and simple lidded jar will do and they are ready to enjoy in 30 minutes.
And not just a pretty face either ~ these briny delights are full of personality! Salty, barely sweet, sour and tangy they get along well with virtually every food combination you can dream of pairing them with from canapés (atop cheese and dips of all kinds), mingled in with salads and sandwiches, alongside grilled proteins and meal bowls – or – straight out of the jar – yup, they’ll curl your toes in every direction.
Look out for some of our favorite ways to enjoy them in upcoming posts.
- 1 medium red onion, peeled quartered and sliced thin
- ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water (+ boiling water from kettle)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced in half
- 8 or so peppercorns (I used rainbow)
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- Bring a kettle of water to boil.
- Place sliced onions in a colander or mesh sieve and hold over sink. Carefully pour boiling water over the onions to soften them, allowing the water to simply drain through. Set aside.
- Stir together the vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a clean pint size mason jar (I use a small whisk) until sugar and salt are dissolved.
- Layer in the warm soft onions, garlic, thyme sprigs and peppercorn, making sure everything is submerged in the vinegar mixture.
- The jar will be quite full - if you have leftover onions that don't fit, simply use them for another purpose (or for round two of pickling!).
- Place lid and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.
- Leftover pickled onions will store for 10 days or so in the fridge.
Cutting the Onion - I suggest cutting the onion in four because I find the smaller pieces of pickled onion easier to work with on food (and less of a choking hazard) than the stringy full rings which can be quite long and tangly.
Warming the Onion - running boiled water over the onion softens it while facilitating absorption of the brine and seasonings.
Health Benefits of Onions - humble though they may be, onions are part of the allium family of disease-fighting phytochemicals that have been shown to have a positive effect on cholesterol levels as well as guarding against certain forms of cancer including colon and prostate.
Do we need to clean the jar in any specific way? I don’t have a dishwasher (well maybe if you count my partner!), so will hand washing with soap and water do? I understand it is just for the fridge for several days, but just wanted to double check! Thanks.
Yes, that’s exactly right – intended for the fridge not long term shelf preserve so your partner hand washing with soap and water will do just fine ;d I hope you love these!
Kelly! I learned something today-thank you! I totally thought pickling was much more complicated…boiling down the whole mixture and all that jazz. How cool! Would love to make these quick pickled onions for an upcoming Taco night.
It’s not just you – I have also wistfully thought of being a domestic goddess, creating my own jams and chutneys and giving them away as gifts…and then, like you, I realize how time consuming that would be (and how clueless I am on things like jarring!)! Ah, maybe someday :) But these pickled onions look absolutely fantastic – and what a fun way to spruce up a meal. I especially love them on tacos, as they give such a satisfying crunch and burst of flavor. I’ve never made my own, so I’m very glad I have a trustworthy recipe to follow now! And I have to add that your photography is perfect, Kelly! What a gorgeous color you captured.
The very first time I had memorable pickled onions was at Susur Lee’s place in NYC on his infamous Singapore Slaw, I was hooked! I love them! They add just the right contest to so many delightful dishes (I’m thinking pulled pork on a pretzel bun!). And the colour is outstanding.
Right. The only thing I think I haven’t put these pickled onions on is my morning oatmeal ;o
You want to know the best thing about this recipe? I would not have to share it!
HA!
am I evil or not? I love the toe curling image…. love it!
sounds like a good deal to me. A toe curling and lip-puckering recipe for sure :o
Your photography is stunning and this recipe is calling my name. I much prefer pickled veggies on the sour side and find the sweet ones gross. I’m so curious about the texture and flavor of these quick-pickled onions and can’t wait to try them! A great discovery, thank you.
haha, I find the sweet ones unpalatable too… I’ve been caught by surprise though – in fact, the first time I bought a jar of pickled pearl onions here in the US, I popped the jar open to enjoy a few during cocktail hour and just as promptly spat them out! I always check now but at home sweet pickles are not very common ;-).
I love everything pickled. This recipe sounds so delicious, I have to try it. Thanks for the inspiration!
I hope you enjoy it! Thank you for dropping by.
The days of standing for 8 hours pickling, jamming and making jelly are over and done with, you I’m with you Darlin! Love these single jars of jams and pickles and what a pretty jar of picked red onions! Great idea to pour the boiling water over them prior to pickling. I would think that would speed up the “Are they are ready, yet?!” wait. :) From your recipe I see that you like that pickled pucker. 1 tsp. sugar in 1 cup vinegar will certainly put a pickled pucker on my lips. Do the onions add some sweetness? I can see putting these on a fish taco. YUM!
the single jars are a beaut aren’t they…just enough for my husband and I to dip into during cocktail hour or for a round of family sandwiches at lunch…. so yummy and easy to redo as needed. The sugar delivers a hint of sweetness but overall this particular recipe is indeed pucker-inducing :o of course, very easy to vary the ingredients to create the result that works for each individual. YES, fish tacos and these onions!! match made in heaven :)
I have stayed away from any kind of canning or preserving because of those same sentiments, and really, the thought of all those steps overwhelms me a bit. I once had my friend show me step-by-step how she does it, and still I couldn’t take the leap!!!
These shots are gorgeous and I am so down for quick pickling. Can’t wait to see the coming posts, Kelly! xo.
if I could just get my hands out of the garden and my head out of novels, I’d might actually put something up on the blog featuring those delightful onions :)) Cheers Tessa, I hope you’re finding time to enjoy spring too.
Dear Kelly, your onions look so gorgeous! I would be ready to eat the whole jar in one go! Actually they remind me a lot the Indian pickled onions I made some time ago (from a new homecooking Indian book I recently bought). You are right: they were also great practically with every meal!
What a wonderful idea to offer jars of jam to wedding guests!
As for the preserves, I’m sure it takes you much more time to make the luscious-looking chickpea patties from the previous recipe that it ever took me to prepare say 5 jars of pickled chilli peppers! I think the attitude is a cultural thing and also the fault of the authorities. Thus in certain countries even experienced cooks are afraid of preserves, think they require a lengthy, complicated process, special equipment, etc.. while in other countries even doctors will tell you it’s perfectly safe to preserve without special processing as long as you add enough vinegar/salt/sugar or all of them. Preserving food is such a pleasure… opening your own jar of pickles or a chilli jelly from the previous summer several months later is a unique experience (at least for me!). I imagine the happy memories your guests had while opening a jar some time after the wedding.
Hi Sissi, thank you for your thoughts. I couldn’t agree with you more about the pleasures of preserved food and the joy of delighting in these creations months after they are made. There are many preparations (such as these pickled onions) that are intended for the fridge for a short duration that don’t involve detailed protocols. For larger scale shelf preserves, you’re right, there are recommendations in place particularly for foods known to carry a higher risk of botulism that the population may be aware of; of course individuals are free to choose to proceed according to their own comfort levels here. I’m glad you like this recipe ~ they are very easy to eat indeed!
I love that you jarred strawberry jam for your wedding guests! That’s such a sweet idea. And a tasty one too. :)
I’m also a big fan of pickled onions. It’s amazing how much flavor they add to things like sandwiches. The color in these photos is just gorgeous. Such a great idea to add fresh thyme!
thanks Sarah, it was a fun and full weekend project that my husband and I really enjoyed working on together… they were cute (and as I recall rather tasty) little red jars :) The longer the pickled onions sit in the fridge the more developed the flavors – including the thyme which really comes through; it’s lovely.
I had tried a version of pickled onions before but it had lots of lime juice. I like the more traditional approach here.
I love the sounds of the citrus Debra – perhaps I’ll try a version with some lemon/lime along with a vinegar combo… always fun to experiment.
I have a question about the vinegar mixture, do you heat it first before putting it in the jars.
Hello, thank you for your note. You don’t have to warm the vinegar mixture. Running the boiled water over the onion beforehand softens it and prepares the surface for absorbing the brine and seasonings. It’s incredibly simple yet renders excellent results. I hope you enjoy this recipe if you get a chance to give it a try. Have a nice weekend.
I am so making this, Kelly! I did quick pickles last year and I can’t believe how easy (and tasty) they were. I always use a bit of red onion in a salad and then think – what am I going to do with the rest of this onion – well know I know. I hate wasting food and this is such a good way to use it up. And I’m with you on the dreamy farm house with fields of lavender!
so clever to point out the leftover red onion! I sometimes end up tossing out more than I would like from the fridge into the bio bin and this would be the perfect use for scraps — come to think of it, many vegetables would do very well pickled — thanks Geraldine.
again, gorgeous shots, kelly. my mother was an avid pickle and jam maker. @gustiafood and i made dill pickles one fall, and i’ve preserved lemons, but that’s about it. i’d make these pickled onions just to gaze at the colour! also, really appreciate the notes you provide with each recipe. you always go the distance.
great to hear the notes are useful to you Suzanne and thank you for your kind words about the photography. the colour kind of surprised me too!
I’m in for the curl-your-toes part of this quick picked recipe, Kelly! I hear you on the perfectly stocked pantry.. one I cannot seem to accomplish. Although I do have some quick pickled beets from the farm that I made a few weeks back (toot toot!). But alas, I can barely get the weeds pulled in the yard these days! I love how you photographed these beauties, highlighting their color and beauty. Thank you for this nudge.. I know they taste divine! xo
the ever expanding to-do list can certainly feel overwhelming some days but ultimately, I view it a bit like a budget — at the end of the day, you can’t have it all, you have to make choices and that’s okay :). Those pickled beets sound delish.