Pickled onions are a surprising touch of bright and bold flavor to sandwiches, burgers, salads, and so much more
This recipe is for when you need something to give a dish a jolt and have it ready in 15 minutes. Pickled onions make a great topping for banh mi sandwiches and other sammies, and for salads.
The recipe calls for onions, but it works just fine for pickling scallions, ramps, leeks, cucumbers, sweet peppers, green beans, cauliflower, shredded cabbage, carrots, corn kernels, garlic, and more. The more dense the vegetables, like carrots and cauliflower, the longer they take to be ready to serve, so slice them thin and taste after 15 minutes.
After you get the hang of it you can add more vinegar, sugar, or salt, if you wish. You can add dill and herbs, even hot peppers, but they don’t add much to the flavor in just 15 minutes. They will take a week or so for them to flavor the onions.
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Pickled Red Onions Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Morton Coarse Kosher Salt
- ½ pound sliced onions, cucumbers, or other ingredients
Method
- Prep. Pour everything except the onions and/or other vegetables into a non-reactive pan.
- Cook. Bring to a boil. Stir until all the sugar and salt are dissolved. Turn off the heat and add the onions.
- Let it cool and you can start using them in about 15 minutes. Or pour everything into a pint jar and chill.
- Serve. Refrigerate the pickled red onions until ready to add to sandwiches, burgers, salads, or other dishes. They last for months.