It's Great to Have Pickled Red Onion on Hand. My Two-Ingredient Method and Tips for Enjoying Your Treasure

Pickling red onions began for me with a red onion that was too big for the recipe I was making. I looked at the half that was leftover, grabbed a mason jar to put it in the refrigerator, and remembered how many times I've tossed out half an onion after it sat for a week or more. Inspired by all my reading on fermentation and pickling, I decided to give that route a try. 

I already had a knife in my hand and the onion on a cutting board. I chose to chop the onion, scoop it into a mason jar, and cover it with seasoned rice vinegar to turn that onion half into a super-quick super-easy pickle. 

Most of the recipes I found online call for a pickling mixture of vinegar, sugar, and salt. Those three things are already in the seasoned rice vinegar and since it's Ed's favorite acidic component for salads, I always have it on hand.

The next day, when making tuna salad for lunch, I tossed in some of the onions, cut back on the lemon I was adding for acidity, and loved the result. 

In fact, I loved the onion's zesty flavor so much that I topped my serving with an extra spoonful. 

A Few Suggested Uses

It is more common to see pickled onions cut into thin slices. You can certainly do that and chop them later if you want to use them mixed into a dish the way I did. Or you can put them on a cheese and salumi tray, sprinkle them on top of tacos, add them to a condiment selection, tuck them into a sandwich, add zest to a burger or brat, or sprinkle them over the sour cream on your baked potato.

Season As You Wish

I made my pickled red onion the quickest way possible. You can add your own touch to your version. You could make a classic hot pickling brine to make a pickle that will last a bit longer. (I like the recipe in My Pantry: Homemade Ingredients That Make Simple Meals Your Own - by Alice Waters. Here's a fairly close adaptation of that recipe.) You can also add seasoning to the pickle. Consider peppercorns, garlic, herbs, or spices.

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: ©2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

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