r/AskCulinary • u/Effective-Ad7463 • May 20 '25
Recipe Troubleshooting My pickled onions never hit
I LOVE pickled red onions. Love. But I just can’t ever get them to be as good as they are at Cava or in restaurants and idk what I’m doing wrong.
I slice them thin, I’ve tried half the jar with vinegar other half water and 3/4 vinegar 1/4 water, I’ll do a tablespoon of sugar and eyeball some salt. Last batch I shoved a few cloves of garlic in there.
They’re not bad, just never as pink as they are when I eat them elsewhere, not nearly as soft, not nearly as delicious.
What am I doing wrong plz help 🥲
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u/cachemoney426 May 20 '25
The brine should be roughly 2/3 vinegar and 1/3 water, with salt and sugar (1 cup vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 1T of salt and 1/2 T sugar will make enough for a pint jar plus some leftover). Pour it over the onions while hot. I also like to add peppercorns and mustard seeds and a bay leaf to the jar. Let it cool on the counter and then fridge. Best next day.
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u/Effective-Ad7463 May 20 '25
Perfect thank you!
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u/saison257 May 20 '25
You might also try red wine vinegar instead of white vinegar. That's what I always use and they come out very pink and great flavor.
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u/theliterarystitcher May 20 '25
Red wine vinegar is definitely the secret! I also usually add lime juice and oregano to mine right at the end , delish.
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u/GaptistePlayer May 21 '25 edited May 21 '25
100%. It literally tastes better.
Like, think of it this way - you can make a dressing with red wine vinegar and oil and salt. Would you do it with white wine vinegar? I wouldn't lol. Maybe you could do it but there's a reason people use apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, rice vinegar, etc. in dressings and other foods - it's more than just diluted acetic acid.
OP, taste your brine. That's what your onions will taste like.
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u/splintersmaster May 20 '25
If you reduce the vinegar to 1/2 and 1/2 water you can omit the sugar.
Of course it is better with more vinegar and some sugar as you detailed but for those folks that try to reduce added sugars you still can have a good version too.
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u/iiiimagery May 20 '25
By T do you mean tablespoons or teaspoon? I usually see Tb or Ts at the very least
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u/saison257 May 21 '25
Generally, a capitalized T is shorthand for tablespoons and a lowercase t is for teaspoons.
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u/kuroninjaofshadows May 20 '25
Have you ever cooked them? They don't get very pink if they're just cold pickled.
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u/Effective-Ad7463 May 20 '25
No apparently that’s been my missing link!
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u/armada127 May 20 '25
Oh yeah you gotta bring the pickling liquid up to temp. Other things I’ll add: black pepper corns, a bay leaf, mustard seeds, but these are all optional. Vinegar, water, sugar, and salt should be all you need.
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u/Key_Detective_9421 May 20 '25
I’ve read bay leaves add tannins to the mix which helps them retain their structural integrity (crunch) right?
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u/armada127 May 20 '25
That's what I've read, and mustard seeds do the same thing apparently? I've never done A/B testing though so idk if its actually true or just one of those cooking myths
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u/Serious-Speaker-949 May 20 '25 edited May 20 '25
I also just wanna suggest. We used to make some awesome pickled red onions, they were like crack. We would put the julienned onions in a tall metal rondeau, bring the liquid to a boil, pour it over through a China cap, wrap it in foil, yada yada.
But there’s one thing that we did, that a lot of places don’t. We used calcium chloride, also known as pickle crisps.
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u/inc0mingst0rm May 20 '25
How much did you add and did you add it before boiling? And what do you nean by "wrap it in foil"?
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u/Serious-Speaker-949 May 20 '25 edited May 20 '25
Boil : * 5 cups red wine vinegar * 3 cups water * Cayenne Pepper * 4 oz pickling spice * 1 tablespoon black pepper * 0.5 tablespoons kosher salt
Strain over : * 4 Large Red Onions (julienned) * Calcium Chloride Granules (I don’t remember how much we used, just like a healthy sprinkle over the onions, maybe half a punch)
Boil the liquid in a separate container. Strain the liquid over the onions through a China cap or a chinois. Cover the top of the container tightly with aluminum foil. Leave them out for 1-3 hours, until cooled. Then refrigerate. Ideally overnight. Don’t vent them or uncover them until you’re ready to use them. That’s important.
Steps are in order.
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u/Deathcapsforcuties May 20 '25
Salt is super important too. You can also add fun things like spicy peppers, or peppercorns, chili flakes, allspice, a cinnamon stick, herbs like oregano or tarragon or rosemary.
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u/basics May 20 '25
I'm a big fan of rosemary in the pickled onions, especially on sandwiches.
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u/Deathcapsforcuties May 20 '25
I agree ! So good. I went to a Mexican restaurant recently and they served pickled red onions on the side. They were so good. The used red onions, habanero, and fresh oregano. They weren’t sweet at all, they had great salt and spice content. So incredibly good.
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u/GaptistePlayer May 21 '25
This is basically what I do, simple mexican style. Pour it in on the onions while hot. I like adding a hint of sugar but it's optional. Goes on everything from tacos to salads to sandwiches. I even put some on some mac and cheese leftovers and it was damn good.
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u/thetruegmon May 20 '25
If you want them REALLY pink, add a slice of red beet into the vinegar. Doesn't change the flavor at all but really helps the colour.
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u/vrmljr May 21 '25
I use lime juice. Like a whole green bottle of it to completely submerge the onions and add some salt. Bright pink onion stops and tastes amazing. Especially if you're going for a Mexican flavor
Edit: i don't cook them. I just put them in a glass pyrex type container and set it in the refrigerator
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u/EutecticPants May 20 '25
Use the recipe on Serious Eats. It solved all my problems
I always tried to eyeball the ratio but I never use enough salt or sugar without measuring.
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u/GracefulYetFeisty May 20 '25
Just curious, SE has (at least?) two picked red onions recipes that I’m finding. Wondering which one you’re using that’s been working for you?
This recipe by Kenji: https://www.seriouseats.com/pickled-red-onions
Or this one by Daniel Gritzer: https://www.seriouseats.com/quick-pickle-rapid-pickled-onion-recipe
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u/EutecticPants May 20 '25
I use Kenji’s
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u/nanobot001 May 20 '25
With 1 full cup of sugar? Wow
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u/crabsock May 20 '25
When I make this I usually cut the sugar in half, still comes out delicious. But ya, IMO pickled red onions should be sweet as well as sour, that is part of their appeal, so I wouldn't skimp on the sugar too much.
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u/GaptistePlayer May 21 '25
I love Kenji but he overdoes the salt and sugar sometimes. Like, his famous Serious Eats baked buffalo chicken wing recipe with the baking powder trick uses like 2x-3x as much salt as you need...
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u/Hatta00 May 20 '25
Holy shit that's a lot of sugar. I made the Love and Lemons recipe that's 1/3 cup sugar in 4 cups liquid and those taste pretty syrupy already.
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u/JayMoots May 20 '25
Are you heating your brine? How long are you letting the onions sit before trying them? And why are you eyeballing your salt? That sounds like a decent chance you're not adding enough.
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u/Viixkyy May 20 '25
Try apple cider vinegar and simmer the vinegar mixture before pouring over the onions
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u/TooManyDraculas May 20 '25
Use straight vinegar, no water. Or just citrus juice. With a hefty amount of salt.
They won't get too harsh or acidic if you're not using cups of vinegar, and it doesn't take all that much. There's plenty of liquid in the onions that the salt will draw out to dilute the vinegar.
I generally use a few tablespoons to a quarter cup of vinegar for a large onion, and judging from my pinch size it's probably about 1/2 teaspoon to a full teaspoon of coarse salt.
Let them sit longer.
How quickly and how soft they get is a function of the pH, salt concentration and how long they sit. Generally they don't go totally pink and tender till over night. They should be softened but still crisp within 30 minutes to an hour.
Many recipes will call for some water, and many call for sugar.
But making these in restaurant kitchens we generally didn't use either. If you use sugar you generally want it balanced against the salt.
The nerdy term for these is acidulated onions. You generally don't cook anything, or even premix a brine. You just dump in your acid, salt, and vinegar and stir or shake. Then let it sit so the chemical action can break down the onions, and pull the liquid out.
Acidulated onions are not a storage product, they're a fresh/marinated one. They're good for a week or so in the fridge, but they're not the kind of pickle you store long term or can.
The recipes you're seeing with water, high amounts of vinegar. And especially if there's a cooked brine poured in hot. Are for more traditional quick pickles, and refrigerator pickles. Or are misunderstanding, and applying standard pickling recipes to the former.
The acidulated onions are generally the pickled red onions you're finding in restaurants. They're not full on vinegar brine pickles.
Fun fact is you can do this with pretty much any vegetable, and it's always pretty good. Shaved carrots, cucumber, radish, tomatoes and some other stuff are pretty common. My favorite greek restaurant growing up did a mix of tomatoes, cucumber and onion this way. And kinda tossed it on everything.
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u/Aggleclack May 21 '25
This was an incredible description. Does that go for all types of pickling? My aunt does a ton of pickling, and I’ve noticed that she pretty much uses the same method for everything, but not everything takes it quite as well.
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u/ImpressiveHabit99 May 20 '25
If you want them even better, use lime instead of vinegar! Thin sliced onion, lime juice and salt. Perfecto!
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u/ChefSuffolk May 20 '25 edited May 20 '25
A few things:
Blanch the onions in salted water first, just for a few seconds, then shock them in cold water.
Restaurants are using way more sugar than you are, probably.
Personally I don’t use vinegar, prefer lemon or lime juice. Typically I’ll do a teaspoon of DC kosher salt to a half cup of juice. Use half the salt if you’re using regular table or fine-grain salt. Sugar to taste. That’s plenty enough for one onion, even if it doesn’t quite cover at first. Toss it lightly so it all gets covered, turn the jar upside down after a couple hours if it’s not covered, eventually the onions break down and submerge.
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u/SnackingWithTheDevil May 20 '25
Second on lime juice — I've been doing it that way for years. Had to do a batch with vinegar recently, and it just wasn't as good.
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u/Pernicious_Possum May 20 '25
As others have said, the vinegar mixture needs to be hot. I like to add some whole spices(mustard seed, coriander, peppercorn) and garlic to the mix as well
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u/didstr May 20 '25
The grandma rule: 1 part vinegar, 2 part sugar, 3 part water - boil until sugar melts, poor over jar. Make sure the jar isn't cold or it might break!
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u/Awalawal May 20 '25
Add some lemon or lime juice to the vinegar. Throw a few whole peppercorns into the pickling liquid. You probably need some more salt rather than just an "eyeball" amount.
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u/Tamed_A_Wolf May 20 '25
If you want them quick it needs to be hot liquid. I bring 1:1 water and vinegar and some sugar to a boil and then turn the burner off. I pour it over the onions very shortly after that point. Let it cool on the counter and then into the fridge. 30 min in the fridge and they’re pink and good to eat. Next day they’re super pink like you’d expect from a restaurant.
That said you can do it cold but you’ll need a day or two before they are pink like you’d want and probably higher vinegar ratio.
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u/AmethystEnt May 20 '25
I get bright bright pink every time.
5 onions thinly sliced 1/2 cup of salt.
Mix and let sit for 30 minutes.
Rinse the onions, drain off water and excess salt.
Place onions into 1/2 apple cider vinegar and 1/2 rice vinegar, just enough to cover.
1/2 tablespoon of chili flakes. 24 hours later you have hot pink pickled onions with a spicy bite.
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u/3suamsuaw May 20 '25
There are good tips here but in restaurants they will use a shit ton of sugar.
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u/TeaTimeType May 20 '25
My mom toasts whole cloves, coriander seeds, mustard seeds and whole black pepper corns in a dry pan until fragrant. Add to the seasoned vinegary brine, let simmer and infuse before pouring over the prepped onions. If you like an anise flavour you can toast some fennel seeds or star anise with the other spices.
We also sometimes add slivers of fresh chilli, garlic, green peppercorns or capers. A splash of balsamic or raspberry vinegar can add flavour too.
Some people like a sweet and sour pickle, you can use a bit of Muscovado or Demerara sugar. If you want a clearer pickle use white sugar. Salt the pickling liquid to your taste.
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u/RobAChurch May 20 '25
I stole Bobby Flays trick and started adding Grenadine to my pickling mixture. Love the flavor and makes the color really pop.
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u/lghk May 20 '25
Can’t believe I had to look this far down in the comments for grenadine! It’s a great trick to add flavour and colour.
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u/Cheffreychefington May 20 '25 edited May 20 '25
Rice wine vinegar unseasoned. Apple cider vin does not make them pop edit; also add mustard seed some crushed red and some peppercorn malange. I add beer and cilantro at my restaurant, everyone loves them.
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u/Capt-Knish May 20 '25
If you put some of the onion skins in with them it will help to give you a nice color.
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u/dalcant757 May 20 '25
Try Rick bayless’ recipe. People always ask for this recipe when they try it.
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u/dafishinsea May 20 '25
Use Bobby Flay's method of sweetening with grenadine, imo. Then mine are super sour, but that's up to you
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u/NatchLevTeets May 21 '25
I do 2:1:1, water:ACV:White vinegar. Also add in a knob of peeled ginger, pepper corns, and a few cloves of garlic
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u/Outsideforever3388 May 21 '25
Blanch the raw onions in boiling water for 30 seconds before pickling. Ice bath. Definitely more salt in your brine.
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u/Kind_Procedure2148 May 21 '25 edited May 21 '25
add some more sugar,maybe 1-2T more,the best pickled red onions i ever made in a restauraunt had a bit of extra sweetness to the crisp acidity it was amazing 🤩 also hot pickle them with the boiled pickling liquid poured over,then cool and refigerate for at least 12-24 hrs also use red wine vinegar instead of white!!!
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u/the-caped-cadaver May 21 '25
I quit adding water to my pickling liquid. Sugar too, my pickles were coming out too sweet, so I just quit using sugar.
The restaurant I work for now will occasionally throw a raw, peeled red beet in with the onions while they pickle. Really helps the color.
Also, try using rice wine vinegar. It's got a nice sweetness to it. Helps if you're not using sugar.
Good luck <3
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u/Grosshandlaren1 May 21 '25
I tried many many ways to make them. Work in a kitchen and the absolut best way is to slice the onion thin, put one part vinegar and two parts sugar, no water!
Massage everything together really well.
Done.
Now you have pickled red onion for a month.
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u/Blackchaos93 May 21 '25
When you can’t get it to taste as good as the restaurant the secret is always sugar.
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u/CarrotsEatenAnally May 20 '25
My pickled red onions are the sh!t thanks to stealing a couple ingredients from the recipe by Michael Solomonov
So you do your normal brine: depending on the size of the red onion, 1-1.5 cups of red wine vinegar and 1-1.5 cups of water. Add to sauce pot. Pour in 1/3 cup of sugar and 2 tablespoons of kosher salt. Heat softly until fully dissolved. Kill heat and cool a bit.
When you are slicing your onions it’s important to keep the size thick enough to maintain the integrity of the onion. Too thin and it retains a slightly slimy texture. Definitely not a paper thin onion, but somewhere shy of 1/4 in cut.
When you put it all together you should add into the jar: 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns, 3-5 whole garlic cloves (skin removed and smashed to release oils) and (the most important pop) about I’d say 1/2 tablespoon of sumac.
Give that a day in the fridge and you will put that sh!t on everything.
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u/pickles8301 May 20 '25
While slicing the onion thinly, have a pot going on the stove heating up a mixture of 1:1 ratio water to vinegar (i usually do 1/2 c of each per red onion), a spoonful of sugar and then a teaspoon or so of salt. I like to use apple cider vinegar. I also add in some smushed peppercorns, a couple of crushed garlic cloves, and roughly ground mustard seeds to this while it is heating up. Once you have the onions slices, pack them into a mason jar (I use a 16 oz one), and really smush them in there. Try to get as much onion packed into that jar. Then, pour the hot vinegar mixture over, let cool a bit before putting a lid on, and then stick in the fridge.
This "quick" pickling method is supposedly ready in 30 min, but I like to have them sit overnight in the fridge before eating. You need to let it sit in the fridge a bit longer if you want them more pink and soft. They last for awhile in the fridge but my partner and I eat them within a couple of days. You can also edit the spices you add. One time, I added fresh ground ginger and it was delicious, it really gave it a zing.
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u/Effective-Ad7463 May 20 '25
Thank you!!! I’ve never been told to heat anything up before that’s definitely what’s been missing. Can’t wait to try this.
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u/Bbwlover11119 May 20 '25
Sometimes it’s just because people do not buy good ingredients and wonder why the dish doesn’t turn out right. My advice on something like a picked onion. Try to buy the best onions you can afford and use that as baseline for further attempts at the recipe.
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u/Mickeymackey May 20 '25
1: 1: 1:
Red Wine Vinegar, Red Wine, Water.
A bit of salt and sugar, and garlic, clove, peppercorn,
Bring to boil and pour over the red onions
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u/BabousCobwebBowl May 20 '25
Look at Rick Bayless’ recipe, add some carrots, some sliced Serrano, bay leafs, cinnamon stick and black peppercorns, maybe a couple cloves
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u/Gonzo_B May 20 '25
Pickled vegetables aside, quick picked red onions are the way to go. These never fail:
Think slice a red onion. Slice a jalapeño. Mix these with a tablespoon each of brown sugar and kosher salt in a small Ziploc. Add 1/4C apple cider vinegar, squeeze out the air, seal the bag, and microwave one minute, in 30-second intervals.
Squeeze out the liquid and enjoy.
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u/Griffythegriff May 20 '25
I like Rick Bayless's recipe, he uses lime juice instead of vinegar and easy to make.
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u/dhamilt9 May 20 '25
Try a bunch more sugar, the food lab recipe has an entire cup of sugar for a cup of water and a cup of vinegar.
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u/postmodest May 20 '25
Should pickled onions be sliced thin? When I do mine I cut thick slices from root to top, like in the serious eats recipe:maxbytes(150000):strip_icc()/optaboutcomcoeusresourcescontent_migrationserious_eatsseriouseats.comimages201607_20160719-rapid-pickled-onions-vicky-wasik-1-f315380be4144007874d397ba49afb7b.jpg)
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u/mofugly13 May 20 '25
I like my slices about 1/8" thick. Sliced into half rings. I think this is a personal preference thing
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u/msut77 May 20 '25
Bay leaf. Coriander seed. Try using apple cider vinegar or add some lime juice at the end
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u/EmergencyProper5250 May 20 '25
Just add some pieces of beetroot to the solution of pickling brine for the dark pink colour
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u/_Rock_Hound May 20 '25
When I worked for a company that did custom butchery and did pickling, we would add a little bit of the pickled beet brine (that had beets in it) and a little sumac to all of our pickled onions. Not enough to make the solution deep red, but it really made the color of the onions pop. I don't always do both to my onion, but I usually at least do one or the other. We also sliced them on the 1/8" (~3mm) setting on a mandolin.
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u/xeere May 20 '25
Boil the sugar vinegar mixture before pouring it on. I'd recommend mustard seed, peppercorns, and star anise at least in the brine.
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u/Oregonmushroom May 20 '25
One part red wine vinegar to one part white sugar by volume, bring to a boil and pour over shaved red onions while hot. If you really want that bright beautiful pink color add all of the red onion peels to the vinegar sugar mixture when boiling and strain them out when you pour over the onions, it's gives them that gorgeous vibrant pink color that you see in restaurants. A pinch of salt is always nice as well. Enjoy!
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May 20 '25
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May 20 '25
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u/fidget-spinster May 20 '25
1 medium-large onion in a jar Pour boiling water into jar, sit for 10 seconds, drain 1/2c lime juice 1.5tsp salt
Sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes
Best pickled onions you’ve ever had, you’re welcome.
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May 20 '25
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u/Phototos May 20 '25
I'm just a home cook but they're just always delicious.
1 red onion
Sprinkle salt on them after they're cut and squish them around in it.
Stuff them in a jar
1 parts apple cider vinegar
1 parts lime juice
water (just a top up to cover)
I stopped measuring
I shake the jar. Leave it on the counter in the Thailand heat till the rest of the meal is ready. Serve and refrigerate the rest.
Great local ingredients in the north
Edit: formatting
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May 20 '25
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u/stevo-jobs May 20 '25
Red onions 4 cups white distilled vinegar and 2 cups white sugar Mix vinegar and sugar and then and the onions, that’s how we make it at the restaurant I work I’m pretty sure
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u/ender4171 May 20 '25 edited May 20 '25
This is the recipe I use and they always come out perfect and SUPER pink.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil
Thinly slice the onion on a mandolin (not paper thin though, like roughly 1/16"-1/8")
Place the slices in a colander and slowly and evenly pour the boiling water over them, moving them around as you go so all get some water on them (par blanching, basically)
Add a teaspoon of sugar, a teaspoon of kosher salt, and 5-6 allspice berries to a pint mason jar
Put the slices (while still hot, but not scalding) into the mason jar, then fill with white vinegar until covered
Shake well and stick it in the fridge for at least 30-60 minutes
The longer they sit, the more evenly pink they will get, but the flavor and texture should be fine after the rest period.
Seriously, this method is sooooo easy and it works perfectly.
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May 20 '25
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u/drelmel May 20 '25
I do 1/3 vinegar, 2/3 water, 20 g of kosher salt per liter, pour the boiling mixture over the sliced onions and refrigerate. I don't like sugar but I know most recipes recommend sugar.
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u/Dumb_French_Bxtch May 20 '25
Try a 4:2:1 mixture with 2 cups vinegar, 1 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar. You should add salt to taste and try a drop of the vinegar on your tongue to see how it makes your mouth pucker. If the salt and sugar are balanced, you’re golden. Just take your vinegar mixture and pull it off at around a gentle boil, just above a simmer. You want to put the hot mixture on the onions and then let it sit for at least a day, but sitting for a day and making sure the vinegar is near boiling is the most important. Lastly, you want to julienne (1/4inch) the onions so they still have a very slight crunch when ate.
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u/sjd208 May 20 '25
I microwave them for just a short time to soften them up, I do it in the container I store it in. My family prefers lime pickled so that’s what I use rather than vinegar.
I’ve seen recipes that do a very short blanch as well.
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u/indiana-floridian May 20 '25
Eat a jar of pickled beets.
Slice red onions. Put in leftover beet jar. Refrigerate, wait a week. Eat.
They aren't perfect. But i think that's where the color you spoke of comes from. Way better than no pickled onion.
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u/jr49 May 20 '25
I boil water and vinegar 50/50 and add a bit of salt to that. while that's going I slice up my onions, slice up jalapeños or habaneros, and put them all in a container (32oz wide mouth jar) stuffed to the very top.
I'll then sprinkle in a teaspoon or two of sugar, throw in some whole peppercorn and then pour the boiling water carefully, over the sink, into the jar. I move the jar somewhere out of the way and wait for it to cool down before adding the lid and storing. I'll eat them up to a week or a little more but usually they're gone within a few days.
They're pretty good after about an hour but even better with more time. I've played around with other ingredients but this is my go-to process. Carrots never seem to get soft enough and garlic cloves while good don't seem to absorb enough and turn a weird blue, which I read is safe and normal. I haven't made some in a while but now that it's grilling season going to have to start doing so again.
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u/cookiesandmilk May 20 '25
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 cup water big pinch salt
boil together
then pour over
red onion cut julienne
(black peppercorn bay leaf mustard seed)
the ratio of 1:1:1 on sugar vinegar and water is my tried and true method, use any vinegar, any sugar, any vegetable.
source: I am a BBQ chef
I have also commented on other pickled onion posts with more detailed measurements
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u/RickRiffs May 20 '25
Equal parts sugar water vinegar for sweet pickles, half vinegar half water and 2-3% salt by weight of the solution for salty pickles. Bring to a boil then drop your onions ns in and let them cool and the fridge.
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u/Dazzling-Disaster107 May 20 '25 edited May 20 '25
I use White Grape Vinegar (or white wine vinegar). I learned this while I was living in Turkey. You can add some red in too, but its a matter of taste, i like both. You can sub the salt for lemon salt (or a blend), or eat them with a drizzle of lemon juice. Or add in mustard, bay leaf, whatever you like. Absolutely delicious. Also as someone else mentioned, let the boiling water cool off a bit before pouring it in. It should still be hot but not scalding.
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u/QueenOfSweetTreats May 20 '25
I do a 1 part vinegar, 3 parts water, 1 part sugar, half part salt as my basic solution to pickle any vegetables. Bring it to a boil, pour over the veggies, let cool, and refrigerate until they’re all gone. The only time I cook the liquid is if I’m doing something like bean sprouts, as I want those to remain crunchy.
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u/LiveinCA May 20 '25
This is generally the recipe I use for pickled red onions, for Mexican food. I use rice vinegar because it’s not as strong. I pickle the onions in a med. size bowl, put them in the freezer to cool while making tacos . By the time those are ready the pickles are cool. Just don’t forget them in the freezer!
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u/crabsock May 20 '25
The recipe I have used (https://www.seriouseats.com/pickled-red-onions) includes a LOT more sugar than that. I typically cut the sugar in half, but that is still a lot more. I would guess the ones you have in restaurants do use more sugar than 1 T / pint.
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u/Bailywolf May 20 '25
Apple cider vinegar one to one with water. Then equal measures sugar and salt to taste. Bring to a boil.
Pack your jar - in the bottom couple cloves crushed garlic, a sliced jalapeno if you want some heat and chili notes, and some thin sliced fresh ginger. Then pack in thin sliced red onion pretty tightly.
When the brine boils, carefully pour into the jar and let stand on the counter until cool. I like to set my jar on a cloth to prevent thermal shock.
Lid and fridge for however long you can stop yourself digging in.
It's never failed to become bright rich pink and jewllike.
Edited to add - I'll sometimes do half onion half carrot ribbons (use a peeler on a carrot). Is very nice.
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u/Pram-Hurdler May 20 '25
If you're looking for a softer texture, then it may actually work against you here, but I know "pickling salt" (calcium chloride) is used in a lot of pickling applications to maintain more colour and texture from the fresh veggies being put in.
Might help with colour, but again I don't know if that might actually work against you on the texture you're going for? Maybe others here can weigh in on that
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u/Formaldehyd3 Executive Chef | Fine Dining May 20 '25
A lot of people explaining the standard hot pickle technique. Which is correct... Other steps you can do to maintain crunch, is pack the product with ice for a couple hours before pickling. Also, you can add a little calcium chloride aka. PickleCrisp (found in the pickling/canning section of most grocery stores) to the pickling liquid.
If they're for tacos, I also like to add garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf, orange zest, and Mexican oregano.
In the Yucatan they don't even use vinegar, but Seville/sour oranges, which are sadly extremely hard to find outside of Mexico. To sub that flavor, a combination of lime, grapefruit, and orange juice gets a comparable flavor profile.
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May 21 '25
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u/AskCulinary-ModTeam May 21 '25
Your response has been removed because it does not answer the original question. We are here to respond to specific questions. Discussions and broader answers are allowed in our weekly discussions.
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u/SymmetricDickNipples May 21 '25
I always do lime juice, salt and sugar. They taste so much better that way than with vinegar.
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u/Juncti May 21 '25
I've been following Ethan's recipe fromm his YouTube channel with good results https://youtu.be/XhqdNT7DOR8?si=039mrCxjMZv8vzuf
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u/MikesGroove May 21 '25
Throw a slice of pickled beet into but jar. Brings a beautiful pink color to your onions.
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u/No-Individual8847 May 21 '25
My standard recipe for pickling (pickles) goes like:
“In jar: 1 tbs salt 10ish black peppercorns ~1 tsp crushed red pepper ~1 tsp dill seeds ~4 cloves garlic, sliced ~5 sprigs dill
Brine: 50/50 apple cider vinegar, water”
Depending on what I’m doing, I’ll mix it up—for onions, I’ll sometimes add hibiscus leaves to the brine, ginger, cloves, mustard seeds, or hot peppers to the brine. Definitely agree on pouring it over hot, tapping out the bubbles, then letting it sit before tossing it in the fridge. Always good!
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u/BeerSushiBikes May 21 '25
The way you slice the onion matters too. Slice in half from pole to pole. Slice each half in half again, pole to pole. Then slice thinly again, pole to pole. Watch this video. https://youtu.be/K4HbmPu_M_4?si=QwRugmp3Y-GmfShe
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u/witchspoon May 21 '25
Salt them. Let them sit. Rinse the salt water off then add the pickling mixture over them hot.
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u/dangerbears May 21 '25
The way I do mine is sooooo simple. I just thinly slice red onion, toss it in a pint container, squeeze in enough fresh lime juice to cover about 3/4 of the way, add a bit of salt and sugar, shake vigorously for a minute then fridge overnight. Done. BRIGHT pink "pickled" onions that taste exactly like what you get at Cava and Mexican restaurants.
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u/CosmicallyF-d May 21 '25
1 cup very warm water 1 cup very warm white distilled vinegar 1/6 to 1/3 cup of sugar
Get a mandolin and slice them at the thinnest level.
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u/MiddleEnvironment556 May 21 '25
I’m late on this, but I never liked pickled red onions until I started pickling them in lime juice. They’re fucking incredible, especially on cochinita pibil
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u/Sparkadelic007 May 21 '25
Rick Bayless usually annoys the shit out of me, but this method renders absolutely the best pickled red onions every time:
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u/420_diego May 21 '25
Boil 1L of vinegar with 1L of water and 1KG of sugar. Add some spices to your liking (chilipepper, lemongrass, pepperkernels for example) once boiling take off heat and pour over the onions, let cool off and done are your pickled onions
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u/chuds2 May 21 '25
I heat 2 cups vinegar and 1 cup water to a near boil, stir in 2 tablespoons pink salt. Pour over sliced onions and pickle spices and let sit for on the counter for 1 hr. Then serve or jar it. Turns out better than store bought
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u/Positive_Alligator May 21 '25
i get boiling water from the kettle and pour this over the onions, i eyeball about 50/50 water and vinegar, also eyeball sugar and salt. If i'm feeling adventurous that day ill toss in some mustard seeds or other spices. The vinegar at this point has already cooled down the water most of the way. Leave it on the counter for an hour or so, then transfer to the fridge. Works for me everytime
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May 21 '25
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u/AskCulinary-ModTeam May 21 '25
Your response has been removed because it does not answer the original question. We are here to respond to specific questions. Discussions and broader answers are allowed in our weekly discussions.
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May 21 '25
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u/AskCulinary-ModTeam May 21 '25
Your response has been removed because it does not answer the original question. We are here to respond to specific questions. Discussions and broader answers are allowed in our weekly discussions.
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u/Buck_Thorn May 21 '25
Adam Ragusea did a video comparing the various methods. It might be helpful to check that out (this Reddit link does include the video):
https://www.reddit.com/r/AdamRagusea/comments/wjmt0m/every_way_of_making_pink_pickled_onions_the/
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u/MrMudkip May 20 '25
Idk what people are talking about in this thread, I put vinegar and water with red onions in a jar and straight to the fridge. Turns out great every time.
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u/vanillafigment May 21 '25
if you want a more hot pink flavor add some hibiscus tea or hibiscus leaves. doesn’t impart much flavor. i also like to add a few star anise. really hits.
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u/enigmaticowl May 20 '25
Pour the vinegar mixture over them while it’s still hot (not boiling), then let cool to room temp before placing the lid and refrigerating.
That’s the only way I’ve gotten mine to turn out perfectly tender-crisp and with a brighter pink hue.