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Glorius 😍
5/5
These put shop-bought pickled onions to shame.
| Pickled onions | |
|---|---|
 |
| Servings: | Servings: 32 - Fills 3 x 500 ml jars |
| Calories per serving: | 48 |
| Ready in: | 2 days, 2 hours |
| Prep. time: | 2 days, 2 hours |
| Cook time: | None |
| Difficulty: | 
|
| Recipe author: | Chef |
| First published: | 24th September 2012 |
Around September in the UK pickling onions (shallots) are locally available and as the day grow shorter and cooler it's a great time to get pickling!
If you prefer a sweeter Pickled onion, then add one or two teaspoons of brown sugar to each jar.
The onions need to soak for two days before pickling so plan a little ahead.
Ingredients
Printable 🖨 shopping 🛒 list & 👩🍳 method for this recipe
- 100 g sea salt
- 900 g (2 lb) small pickling onions, peeled
- 700 ml (27 fl oz) malt vinegar
- 200 ml Szechuan wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon juniper berries
- 3 dried chillies
- 5 clove buds
- 10 cardamom pods, green and black
- 2 tablespoons jaggery or demerara sugar
- 3 x 500ml Kilner jars
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My pickling spices: Cardamom pods, Szechuan peppercorns, black peppercorns, cloves, three dried chillies (not pictured) and juniper berries
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Use a salad spinner to remove excess brine
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Soaking in brine for 48 hours
Method
2 days before the pickling is to start
- Top, tail and peel the pickling onions and place in a large bowl.
- This is quite a pleasant task if it can be done outside in the sun. No tears this way!
- Mix the salt into 568 ml (2 pints) of boiled hot water and pour this over the peeled pickling onions.
- Leave for two days in a cool place, covered with a tea towel. You can place a clean plate on top of the onions to keep them underwater
Pickling day:
- Discard the salt-water and rinse the onions in a sieve under cold running water. Pat dry with a tea-towel.
- You can use a salad spinner to remove excess brine.
- Add all of the ingredients to a large pan and bring it to the boil, then turn off the heat and leave it to go completely cold
- Sieve out the spices and discard. You can filter the vinegar through blotting paper if you are fussed.
- Sterilise the pickling jars and pack the onions into the jars
- Pour the vinegar, with the spices, into the jars and add the optional sugar
- Seal and store in a cool, dark place for 2 months to mature
Chef's note
Quantities for pickling shallots and onions.
- 12 peeled medium sized pickling onions (shallots) fit nicely into a 500 ml Kilner jar
- 12 peeled medium sized pickling onions (shallots) weight approximately 257g
- 280 ml of pickling vinegar covers peeled medium sized pickling onions (shallots) in a 500 ml jar
The spices I added made a gorgeous warm vinegar and with the jaggery it was so good that I made some more just to use with fish and chips!
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