Quick Pickled Onions
There are many ways to tame an onion, aside from cooking it, of course. One is to consider the type of onion you're starting with, perhaps choosing a sweeter tasting, less sulfurous variety like Vidalia or Walla Walla; white and red onions also tend to be more mild than yellow, and are therefore often better choices for raw applications.
Yet another trick is to wash the sliced or diced raw onion with water, which rinses away the pungent fluids while keeping the onions crisp. The Texas Hot did this to the chopped onion they used on their hot dogs.
Quick pickling onions is another great way to mellow out regular onions when you want the crunch of fresh onions, but not the harshness. They are great to add to sandwiches, hamburgers, tacos, and salads to give them that extra something. There are several ways to make quick pickled onions. Slices and rings are good for layering on sandwiches, and dice for tossing into bean salads and the like.
- For some quick-pickled red onions, you have to make a brine that balances vinegar with sugar and salt. Some recipes require mixing in just enough water to keep it from being too tart or adding various aromatics like the peppercorns, allspice, and bay leaves in Yucatán-style pickled onions.
- It's also common to heat up the brine, pour it on the vegetables, and then let them cool.
- All you do is cut up your onion into slices or dice, then pour enough vinegar on them to cover. That's it. Then you just have to wait long enough for the vinegar to do its job, rinsing away the harsh sulfurous compounds, softening the onion, and giving it a pleasantly tart pop of flavor.
Use leftover vinegar or brine in salad dressings, etc.
Quick Pickled Onions (room temp brine)
1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 red onion, thinly sliced
Whisk first 3 ingredients and 1 cup water in a small bowl until sugar and salt dissolve. Place onion in a jar; pour vinegar mixture over. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 weeks ahead. Cover and chill. Drain onions before using.
Make about 1/2 cup
Quick-Pickled Onions
Raw onion, sliced, cut into rings, or diced (as much as you need for your recipe)
Kosher or sea salt
Red wine vinegar to cover
Put the onion in a non-reactive vessel along with a large pinch of salt. Pour enough vinegar on top to just cover. Let stand, stirring once or twice, for at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour (the onion will grow softer and more pickled-tasting as it sits). Drain, then add to sandwiches, salads, and other dishes where raw onion would be used.
Quick Pickled Red Onions (heated brine)
1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
5 allspice berries
Rinse the onion slices well under hot water. Shake them dry and put them in a heatproof bowl.
In a small saucepan, bring the apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, cinnamon stick, peppercorns and allspice berries to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the onion slices and toss (the liquid won't initially cover the onions, but that's ok as the onions will shrink down). Let sit at room temperature, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, or refrigerate them for up to 2-3 weeks.
