How To Make Quick-Pickled Red Onions

If you were to peek into my refrigerator any day of the week, any season of the year, you would surely find a jar of pickled red onions. This bright, jewel-toned condiment offers a zesty tang to countless dishes and adds a lovely splash of color as well. It takes about 10 minutes to assemble and lasts for weeks in the refrigerator. What more can you want from a pickle?

Making pickled red onions at home is easy. Thinly slice the onions, stir the sugar, salt, vinegar, and other flavorings; par-blanch the onions, transfer them to a jar, and store it. Find out the uses of pickled onions and learn more about how to make it.

There are countless uses for pickled onions. Tuck them into sandwiches, especially those with rich meats, like pulled pork; use them as a condiment to top tacos, bean dishes, and rich mayo-based salads, like potato or egg salad; toss them into lettuce salads, grain salads, and salads with sturdy greens, like kale.

Their bright-pink color, crunchy texture, and piquant flavor will perk up almost any dish. They’re also perfect for serving with sandwich and salad buffets at parties.

I like to cut my onions into rings because I find the tangled loops are easier to scoop from the jar and I like the way they look. If you prefer, you can also cut the onions into half moons. They can be sliced paper-thin or into rather thick, 1/2-inch slices, but I like to split the difference and slice them slightly thinner than 1/4-inch thick.

I only use red onions for my pickled onions, but yellow or white onions can be used as well. Of course you won’t get that lovely bright-pink color, but if that’s not a factor, then give it a try. Be sure to use a firm onion that is free of soft spots and blemishes.

The sugar provides a nice balance to the salty vinegar brine, but you can leave it out if you are avoiding sugar. Honey or another sugar substitute might work, but start with less just to be safe.

At their most basic, pickled red onions are simply sliced onions that have been covered in a mixture of vinegar, salt, and sugar, and allowed to marinate. It’s a lot of fun to add additional spices and to customize the mixture to match your dish.

In the recipe below, I used my favorite mixture of flavorings, which includes fresh garlic and a chili for added oomph. You can leave them out or add additional selections, such as a bay leaf; herbs, like rosemary or oregano; orange peel; or cloves. Asian spices, such as star anise, cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and fresh ginger, would also be a nice garnish for a rice-based stir-fry or other Asian dish.

Over time, the onions will eventually turn a uniform shade of vivid pink. Be sure to store your pickled onions in a glass or ceramic container. Most metals will react with the vinegar, and plastic will absorb the flavors. I like to use a pretty canning jar so I can just grab the onions from the refrigerator and plunk them on the table with no fuss.