I recently had some of the tastiest little street tacos at a local taqueria. I was craving some tasty strips of marinated beef, cilantro, a little cheese, with some fresh pico de Gallo. What made these tacos exceptionally good was the addition of the tangy, pickled, sliced red onions on top. Those pickled onions packed a punch of flavor that took those humble street tacos over the top! They added a wonderful zing that made me wolf down more tacos than I care to admit! As I scarfed them down I started thinking about all the different things you could add them to; sandwiches, salads, burgers, tacos, nachos, avocado toast, added to a Charcuterie board…the list of ways to to use them continues to grow and grow!
Me being me, had to figure out how to make them at home! There are loads of recipes online but I ended up creating this recipe because most of the recipes I found online used more than double the amount of sugar in the brine. Less sugar doesn’t have to mean less flavor. Some sugar enhances the flavor of the brine but you don’t want it to overpower the brine with too much sugar. In my humble opinion, a little sugar goes a long way and just a touch is all you need!
Start by peeling and thinly slicing up a large red onion.
Place the sliced red onion in a glass jar or an airtight container. Set aside.
Combine hot water, sugar and salt in a small bowl.
Stir until sugar and salt are completely dissolved.
Add vinegar.
Stir to combine.
Pour the brine over the onion slices. Make sure to completely submerge the onion slices in the brine. Smush them down into the jar and add more water or vinegar if needed.
Seal jar with a lid and shake gently to combine.
Let the mixture cool to room temperature on your kitchen counter.
After the mixture has cooled down (about an hour) place the jar it in the fridge and allow the onions to “pickle” for two days in the fridge before using them. This “brining” period will enhance their flavor.
Pickled onions will keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 weeks, if they last that long.
I love how quick and easy it is to make these pickled red onions. And I love how tasty they are too! They add a lovely tanginess to everything you add them too. Recently I’ve been obsessed with topping my avocado toast with these tangy pickled onions! They get gobbled up when I set them out on a charcuterie board. I add them tacos, and they’re delicious added to fried potatoes, nachos…the list goes on and on and on!
They just seem to make everything they touch so much better. If a tart, tangy, sour food with a peppery bite profile gets your mouth watering, then you are really going to love these quick and easy to make pickled red onions. You will want to add them to just about everything!!!
Quick Pickled Red Onions
Equipment
- airtight container or glass jar with lid
Ingredients
- 1 large red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 cup hot water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar or white vinegar (5% acidity)
Instructions
- Place sliced onion in a glass jar or airtight container. Set aside.
- Combine hot water, sugar and salt in a small bowl.
- Stir until sugar and salt are completely dissolved.
- Add vinegar and stir to combine.
- Pour thee brine over the onion slices. Make sure to completely submerge the onion slices in the brine. Add more water or vinegar if needed.
- Seal with a lid and shake to combine.
- Let the mixture cool to room temperature on your kitchen counter.
- After the mixture has cooled down (about an hour) place the jar it in the fridge.
- Allow onions to "pickle" for two days in the fridge before using them to enhance their flavor.
- Pickled onions will keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 weeks, if they last that long.
Did You Make This?
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