Pickled red onions are quick and super easy to make. Watch our video tutorial to find out just how simple it is. Pickled onions add a lovely tangy flavor to just about every dish and with their bright and vivid shade of pink, they look great as well.
Pickling as a method of preservation has been around for about 4000 years. It started out as a necessity, a way to preserve food for a long period of time. But these days, we value them for their unique taste as well. The word “pickle” actually comes from the Dutch pekel, which means brine. This being the Tiny Dutch Kitchen, we of course had to mention this…
Pickling vegetables the old-fashioned way requires quite a bit of time and equipment, like sterilized jars, jar lifter tongs and a pressure canner. Granted, this method is perfect when you have large amounts of produce you want to preserve for months or years, without refrigeration. The method I used here is different though. It is known as “refrigerator pickling” and it is a lot simpler. The only downside is that vegetables pickled this way, need to be kept in the refrigerator and have a limited shelf-life. But since it is very easy to make small batches with this method, that is not a big problem. I assure you, once you’ve had a taste of these onions, they won’t last long.
For this recipe I used red onions. You can also use white or yellow onions but the taste will be slightly different. Red onions have a milder taste, so if you use a different kind you may need to adjust the amount of sugar you use.
There is one more advantage to using red onions. When red onions sit in brine for a while, they turn a bright and vivid shade of pink. So when you add them to things like sandwiches or salads, they don’t just taste great. They look great as well.
A final note: be sure to store your pickled onions in a container made from either glass or ceramic. Metal and plastic can react with vinegar, ruining both your onions and your container. And likely your day as well.
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Passive Time | 24 hours |
| Servings |
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- 1 red onion
- 250 ml vinegar
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 black peppercorns
- 4 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 250ml (8.5 ounces) jar glass or ceramic
Ingredients
Ingredients
Equipment
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- Peel the red onion and cut it into slices.
- Separate the onion rings and add them to the jar along with the peppercorns, cloves and bay leaves.
- In a pan combine the vinegar, sugar and salt. Bring the mixture to the boil, making sure all the sugar and salt has dissolved.
- Once the vinegar is hot, pour it into the jar immediately. Add enough vinegar to cover all of the onions, then put on the lid. Let the jar cool before storing it in the refrigerator.
- You can eat your pickled onions immediately but it's better to let the flavors develop for at least 24 hours.
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