Do you want to impress your friends with one easy food trick? Pickle red onions! They’re a beautiful and flavorful addition to just about any dish. Try them in salads, on tacos or nachos, tucked inside spring rolls, sandwiches, as a garnish, with pulled pork, seriously anywhere. The best part? These are made with a quick vinegar brine and will be ready in an hour. Make a big batch to keep in the refrigerator (which is what we did with what might have been the world’s largest red onion) or if you have smaller onions just make a bowl for the meal you’re serving.
All of the ingredients are pictured above. I like cider vinegar for quick pickles, but you can also use white wine vinegar, rice vinegar, red wine vinegar, you get the idea. If you want to get fancy try swapping local honey for the sugar, or adding in whole spices like peppercorns, cumin seeds, anise, cardamom.
Pickled Red Onions
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 large or a few small red onions, sliced
Combine the pickling ingredients in a glass measuring cup or bowl and stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Place the onions in a large bowl and cover with the liquid. If necessary add a little more water and vinegar at a 1:2 ratio until the onions are covered. Let the onions sit on the counter for about an hour, stirring occasionally. When they start to turn pink all over, transfer the onions and liquid to a jar. Onions will keep for a week or two if they last that long!
