I’ve recently become a bit obsessed with pickled red onions! If I see a dish on a restaurant menu that includes pickled onions, I almost always order it, regardless of what the dish is. Pickled red onions make just about everything taste more delicious. I can’t get enough of them! I decided to try my hand at making them at home and it was so much easier than I expected.
A few months ago I saw an episode of Kelsey’s Essentials on The Cooking Channel where she talked about quick pickling. This is embarrassing to admit, but before that I had never heard of quick pickling! I always assumed that pickling was a labor intensive process with complicated canning techniques. Put quick pickling is an extremely simple process that leads to delicious pickled veggies in less than an hour. I happen to have a copy of Kelsey’s book, Kitchen Confidence, sitting in my office and found that she had a section on quick pickling. The basic recipe and technique can be used to pickle anything your heart desires, but I of course had to try it on my beloved purple onions.
Quick Pickled Red Onions
Adapted from Kitchen Confidence by Kelsey Nixon
Ingredients
- 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
Directions
Combine the apple cider vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a medium pot. Bring to a boil.
Put the onions in jars of your choice. I used 3, pint sized mason jars. Pour the boiling liquid over the onions.
Put lids on the jars and let the onions sit for at least 20 minutes.
At that point they are ready to eat but will probably still be a bit crispy. If you like a softer onion, let them sit longer before eating. The onions should keep in the fridge for about a week. Try putting them on salads, sandwiches, tacos etc. to add an extra punch of flavor!
Add a cute label to any of the jars and you’ve got a simple gift for foodie friends!
I can’t wait to try pickling other veggies!
What is your favorite pickled vegetable?
QUICK PICKLED RED ONIONS
Ingredients
- 1 large red onion thinly sliced
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Combine the apple cider vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a medium pot. Bring to a boil.
- Put the onions in jars of your choice.
- Pour the boiling liquid over the onions.
- Put lids on the jars and let the onions sit for at least 20 minutes.
- If you like a softer onion, let them sit longer before eating.
