Pickled red onions have a slightly sour and sweet taste and a crunchy texture. This preparation gives a special, tangy flavor to sandwiches, salads and steaks. Try this recipe and you are sure to fall in love with it.
You don’t have to make many jars of pickled red onions to last over the entire winter, because you’ll find all the ingredients in the market or store whatever the season, and the preparation time is very short. You don’t need many utensils either.
If you don’t have much experience cutting onions, you’ll most likely need a large grater to slice the onions as thinly and evenly as possible. Other than this, every other step is very simple.
To make pickled red onions you’ll need vinegar (any kind will do), white sugar, salt, pepper and a few cloves of garlic.
The last two ingredients are optional, but will add extra flavor to the final preparation. You can try both versions to see which one you like better. Once the jam ready, you can keep it in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Ingredients
- 2 small red onions
- 500 ml white vinegar
- 500 ml water
- 80 g sugar
- 2 tbsp sea salt
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp mixed peppercorns
Preparation
Chop the onion thinly and divide between 2 400 g jars or 3 250 g jars. Distribute the garlic and peppercorns in the jars.
Mix the vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a pot and bring to the boil over medium heat. Stir until the sugar and salt dissolve, for about 1 minute, then let the mixture cool and pour over the onions. Set the jars aside at room temperature until the contents cool, then place them in the refrigerator.
Pickled onions will be ready to eat once they turn bright pink and tender, which takes about 1 hour for very thinly sliced onions or overnight for thicker sliced onions. The preparation will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Red onion jam for winter
If you want to make a larger quantity that will last a few months, you will need to sterilize the jars by boiling after you added the brine.
After sealing the jars, place them in a pot lined at the bottom with a clean towel and add water to cover the jars to about half of their height. Boil the water for about 10-15 minutes, then remove the jars and cover with a blanket and let them cool gradually. This process can take 24-48 hours.
You can then store the jars in a cool, dark place for up to several months.
Pickled onions can be added to salads, steaks or sauces. You can also use them to season avocado toast, potato salads, burgers, tacos, burritos, and bean or rice salads. They also go great in guacamole or mango-based sauces.