Sous Vide Quick Pickled Red Onions Recipe 🧅 (2024)

FAQs

Do you have to brine onions before pickling? ›

Brining your onions before pickling might seem like a bit of a palaver, but don't skip this step. As well as seasoning them nicely, the brine draws out moisture from the onions to keep them nice and crisp.

Make sure to submerge sliced onions in hot water before transferring them into a mason jar. If your onions aren't turning pink yet, you'll need to give them some more time in the fridge. Also, double-check that they are fully submerged in lime juice.

Your pickled onions will be ready to eat once they're bright pink and tender - about 1 hour for very thinly sliced onions, or overnight for thicker sliced onions. They will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

I always like to salt and soak the onions before pickling. This gets rid of the harsh 'bite' that often makes raw-onions unappetizing. Soaking them for a short time in hot water softens the onions slightly, priming them for quicker, more thorough absorption of the vinegar brine.

Leftover pickle juice makes for a cheap and easy brine for chicken thighs too (not just chicken breasts).

These guys aren't ready right away – they need some time in the fridge to soak up the brine and become really flavorful. Dill pickle chips will be ready in 24 hours, while spears will take at least 48. They'll keep in the fridge for several weeks, and they get better as time goes on. For best flavor, wait about 5 days.

Pickled onions can last in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. I like them best during the first week because they are the most crisp, but they're still yummy later on.

As Karen says, just add more vinegar -- preferably just boiled -- to cover the onions. If they float, then put a clean dish or bowl (again, preferably just boiled) of some kind on top of them to keep them submerged.

Temperature, light, and humidity can all affect how long your home-canned pickled onions last, so be sure to store them somewhere that is dark and dry with a cool, even temperature. Fluctuations that can lead to freezing or overheating will cause them to go bad prematurely, so choose your storage location carefully.

While salted onions can be a delicious expansion to dinners, it's critical to be aware of piece sizes and control. Eating too many pickled onions can be harmful in some cases. Pickled onions are high in sodium, which can cause health problems if consumed in excess.

Can I use leftover pickle juice to pickle red onions? ›

To Pickle Other Things

If you have vegetables that would be good pickled, like onions, garlic, carrots or green beans, toss them in the jar of leftover pickle juice, and see what happens.

What makes pickled red onions so healthy? Red onions are rich in folate, or vitamin B9, which can improve cardiovascular health and reduce your risk of a stroke. Our pickled red onions contain many other vitamins and minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, and vitamin C.

No, there are other methods for pickling, including quick pickling and refrigerator pickling. But this pickling method does call for boiling the brine. This process helps bloom the flavors of the ingredients and help speed up the pickling process when it's added to the fresh vegetables or fruit.

For vinegar pickles, as we are concentrating on here, we're looking to create crystal clear and fragrant pickling liquor that will not become diluted or otherwise influenced by the leeching of water from the veg. It is for this reason that most vegetable pickles require salting first, to draw out water.

You take all of your ingredients, apart from the product that is being pickled, and bring them to a boil. The heating process helps activate the flavors in the brine and marry them together.

If you have vegetables that would be good pickled, like onions, garlic, carrots or green beans, toss them in the jar of leftover pickle juice, and see what happens. They'll make a nice addition to a charcuterie platter or Blood Mary.

Cloudy brine, an off smell, or if the onions become mushy, slimy or discolored are signs that they have gone bad. If the jar is bulging, leaking, or if it spurts liquid upon being opened, these are indications that dangerous bacteria may be present and the pickled onions should not be consumed.

In a large bowl, mix the coarse crystal sea salt with 300ml boiling water and let it dissolve to make a brining solution. Add 1.2 litres cold water, then the shallots. Cover and leave to soak overnight. The next day, drain, rinse then drain again.

And if you're not up for the canning process, they can even be pickled and stored in the refrigerator — though, in this case, you'll want to use them up within a couple of weeks. Pickled red onions are excellent on salads, sandwiches, and wraps.