Quick Pickled Red Onions
Thinly sliced red onions submerged in a warm vinegar-salt-sugar brine will transform from sharp and raw to bright pink and tender in about an hour. They are the standard for cutting through the richness of heavy meats or balancing a fatty taco.
The thinner you slice, the faster the cure.
Use a mandoline if you have one to ensure uniform thickness, which allows the onions to soften evenly without turning into mush.
- Mandoline or sharp chef's knife
- Wide-mouth glass jar
- Small saucepan
What goes in.
- 1 largered onion, sliced into 1/8-inch half-moons
- 1/2 cupapple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cupwater
- 1 tbspkosher salt
- 1 tbspgranulated sugar
The warm bath
Pouring the brine while it is still steaming hot—but not boiling—partially cooks the exterior of the onion, forcing the color to leach out and the sharp bite to dissipate immediately.
The method.
Prep the onions
Pack the sliced onions tightly into the glass jar. Do not force them, but fill the space so they don't float once the liquid is added.
Heat the brine
Combine vinegar, water, salt, and sugar in the saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar and salt have vanished into the liquid.
Pour and cool
Pour the hot liquid over the onions until they are completely submerged. Let the jar sit uncovered on the counter until it reaches room temperature.
Seal and store
Screw the lid on and move to the refrigerator. They are ready to eat in one hour, though they improve significantly by the next morning.
Other turns to take.
Spicy
Add two smashed garlic cloves and a dried arbol chili to the jar before pouring the brine.
Herbal
Toss a sprig of fresh oregano or a few black peppercorns into the jar for a deeper profile.
When it doesn't go to plan.
Always use a glass jar; plastic will retain the onion aroma permanently.
If the onions lose their bright pink color, they have likely sat too long and are losing their crunch.
The leftover brine can be reused once for a second batch, though the second batch will be slightly milder in acidity.
The ones that keep coming up.
How long do these keep?
Kept sealed in the refrigerator, they remain firm for about two weeks.
Can I use white vinegar?
Yes, though the flavor will be harsher and lack the subtle sweetness of apple cider vinegar.
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