Tips & Tricks

Pickling is the process of preserving or extending the shelf life of food and can typically affect the food's texture, taste and flavour. Vinegar is often used as a pickling medium while herbs and spices, such as mustard seed, garlic, cinnamon or cloves, are often added to enhance flavour. You can pickle various fruit and vegetables such as onions, carrots, cauliflower and radishes and also other foods such as fish and eggs. Try our quick and easy recipe for pickled onions below.

 

How to make pickled onions

Ingredients:

• Spanish onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds (or fennel or caraway seeds)
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon chilli seeds
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 3 tablespoons honey (or maple syrup or sugar)
• 1 ½ cups vinegar (plain white, white wine or apple cider)

 

Method

• Slice onion into thin rounds and remove root. Place the onion, garlic, mustard seeds, pepper and chilli seeds into a sterilised jar.
• Combine salt, honey and vinegar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the salt and honey have dissolved.
• Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the onions in the jar and let the mixture stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Place the lid back on the jar.
• The pickled onions will be ready to eat after they have been in the fridge for 24 hours.

Now that you know how to make delicious pickled onions, there are countless ways you can use them. Tuck them into sandwiches (we love them with pulled pork), toss them into salads, use them as a condiment to top tacos or for a simple café style breakfast at home add them to your favourite avocado on toast.