I love a good pickled situation as a garnish with pretty much anything I make that needs a quick punch or bite of flavor. Quick pickles are a godsend because they take no time to make and are super easy to whip up when you have extra vegetables or items that are on their way out: onions, asparagus, carrots, okra…anything! Right now, I have pickled carrots and onions in the fridge along with a jar of store-bought picked okra that I love snacking on.

This isn’t much of a recipe but more of a simple guide on how to make a basic quick pickle solution. You can jazz it up how you like by adding peppers if you want to make it spicy or lots of garlic (just be mindful of using fresh garlic since it tends to go bad quickly). Run with the flavor combos you want to use with it: fresh herbs, peppers, garlic, different dried spices, or fresh herbs. Get creative!

Since quick pickled items aren’t canned (with the process of sanitizing and using heat to seal the jars) like a traditional pickle would be with a fermentation process, they aren’t shelf-stable and need to be stored in the fridge. I suggest using a simple glass mason jar for your pickled veggies. I typically make a small mason jar’s worth that gets used up within 2 weeks. Let’s get cooking!

Pickled Red Onions

Cook time: 5 minutes

Yield: one pint-sized jar

1 medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced 

1 large bay leaf

1/2 tbsp whole black peppercorns

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

1/2 cup water

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp kosher salt

In a pint sized mason jar, add the sliced red onion in stacks and set aside.

Over medium heat, combine the bay leaf, black peppercorns, white vinegar, water, sugar and kosher salt. Stir to dissolve and bring to a simmer. Once the vinegar mixture is simmering, turn the heat off and carefully pour it over the sliced red onion. I used a fork to move things around a bit and make sure all of the onion was covered completely.

Let the onions come to room temperature by allowing it to sit uncovered on the counter for at least an hour. Once fully cooled down, cover with a lid, label and date and then pop it in the fridge. And that’s it! I like waiting overnight to use them the next day, so the onions turn into the vibrant pink color you recognize. Now you can use these onions on any kind of dish you like that needs a little extra oomph: sandwiches, baked sweet potatoes, tacos, nachos, whatever is clever.

¡Buen provecho!