Content

• Ingredients
• Steps
• Method 1 of 1: Additional Thoughts
• Tips

Pickling onions is a deceptively simple and quick process. If you have a lot of onions and want to store them for longer or just decorate a regular dish, they are incredibly versatile. Onions with a little sourness, sugar and spices are incredibly tasty.

Ingredients

• Steam blanching water
• Ice bath
• 1 red onion (any onion will do), halved and chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 whole cinnamon stick
• 1 small dried chili
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar (sherry vinegar works well as well)
• ¼ glass of lime juice
• 1/8 - ¼ cup sugar
• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt

Steps

1. 1 Cut the onion in half, remove the skin and cut into slices. For this recipe, red onions with a pronounced taste and burgundy color are best suited. The onions really turn red after a couple of days in the refrigerator.
   • You can chop the onion into rings of any thickness. Some people prefer to chop onions on a full moon, which makes them easy to grab with a fork; others prefer it in the second quarter of the moon.
2. 2 Heat the water. Heat enough water so that the chopped onion is completely submerged in the water.
3. 3 While the water starts to boil, sauté the spices in a small skillet. Add cloves, cinnamon, chili and thyme to the skillet and cook over medium heat for about 3-5 minutes, until the spices are fragrant.
4. 4 When the water is almost boiling, remove it from the heat and pour the onion into it. Count to 10, then strain the onions through a sieve.
   • Why do you need to pour boiling water on onions? This will remove some of the acid from the onion. Don't do this if you like raw onions, but juicier onions make the pickle a little different.
5. 5 Transfer the onion to an ice bath to stop cooking. You can leave the onion there or remove after 10 seconds. Onions that remain in the ice bath will continue to soften, while the sulfur (natural defenses) in the onions will dissolve in the water. Once the onion is ready, strain it and place it in a container.
6. 6 Add vinegar, lime juice and ¼ cup sugar to fried spices. Turn the heat to "high medium" and bring the mixture to a slow simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. Simmer for 1 minute.
7. 7 Remove the brine from heat and pour into a container of onions. Cover the brine and refrigerate. Pickled onions can be tasted on readiness after an hour, but it is best to do this at least after one day.
   • Store pickled onions in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Over time, the red pickled onions will turn slightly pink.
8. 8 Enjoy. Try pickled onions for tacos, sandwiches with fatty cuts of meat (such as pork), or hearty stews.

Method 1 of 1: Additional Thoughts

1. 1 Choose different spices for the brine. The above spices are just one combination that goes well together. There are many spices that work well in brine. Here are some of them:
   • Fresh whole garlic. It will take longer, but who doesn't like the garlic and onion combination? It's just divine.
   • Fresh ginger. Its characteristic flavor is felt despite the acidity of the onion.
   • Bay leaf. Dried bay leaves have a smoky flavor.
   • Fresh herbs. Try rosemary, oregano, marjoram, tarragon, and more.
   • Juniper berries. These berries add great flavor.
   • Star anise. An excellent substitute or addition to cloves.
   • Mustard seed. These seeds add a little smoky flavor to the onion.
2. 2 Marinate the beets with the onions for a great pink color. If you are using yellow or white onions but still want to give the onion a pink color, beets can help. It contains a natural red dye. And did we mention if they taste the same great?
3. 3 Marinate whole onions for various recipes. The traditional English approach to pickling onions is to use small yellow onions or shallots and store them whole. Malt vinegar is commonly used in place of apple cider or sherry vinegar. Use it for other recipes.

Tips

• Pouring hot vinegar over the onion before it cools will shrink the onion.
• If you prefer to process the onion for longer storage, pour the vinegar over the onion while the liquid is still hot, without adding a little topping. Cover the jars and roll up, then place them in a water bath in an autoclave for 10 minutes or as directed.
  • Please note that the pickled onion will change its consistency during processing.