Today’s pickled onion was cooked to a soft, almost spreadable consistency.
We grilled cevapcici (an Adriatic sausage) to serve with avjar (a red pepper topping) on Memorial Day. What else do you need? Onion, of course. There are already three pickled onion recipes on Burnt My Fingers, but we went a different route, cooking red onion slightly in the brine so it becomes soft and almost spreadable. This made us think about the many pickled onion variations and the ways to use this versatile allium.
Which onion to start with? It’s hard to pass up the chance to pickle a red onion and watch its rings turn a pale pink that makes a striking presentation on a burger or a pickle plate. But white and yellow onions have their place, as in our Pickled Onion a la Mexicana recipe where we want the spices to be visible.
What spices to use? Today we added a scoop of Penzey’s Pickling Spice—excellent like all their products. Oregano and a bay leaf have their place. Some folks like to add a base flavor with salt and/or sugar but today we left those out and didn’t miss them. Also, a clove of garlic never hurt but it will only assert itself after the pickle has cured a while.
Vinegar/water blend? Typically 50/50. We generally use cider vinegar for flavor balance but white vinegar will add an appealing metallic sharpness and rice vinegar goes in the opposite direction, mild so the onion flavor stands out.
How to pickle? This decision makes a big difference in result. If you pour white vinegar (no water dilution for this prep) over onion slices and let them sit a couple days, as we do for vinegar peppers, you’ll end up with a mildly pickled product that retains its texture. Today’s prep was at the other end of the spectrum and we used it because we planned to serve a cucumber salad with sour cream and raw onions and wanted to distinguish between the flavors. But for most uses the best pickling method is to place the onion slices and accompaniments in a storage jar, bring brine to a boil and pour over. You’ll have a pickled product in an hour to that will keep for a week in the fridge.
Happy pickling.
