Pickled Red Onions

Botch

I often have a jar of homemade pickled red onions in the frig; just slice up a couple red onions thin, salt lightly, then pour over a vinegar solution and set into the frig.  They last a month or so and a great topping for many things.
 
Saw a Rick Bayless video a couple days ago, same condiment but some interesting twists, his was a Yucatán version.  First unusual step: after slicing the onions, he covered them with very hot tap water and pressed them down with a plate, and let them steep for 20 minutes.  Then he drained off the water, and added 1 cup of freshly-squeezed lime juice instead of a vinegar solution!  After an overnight soak, he then packed them into jars and into the refrigerator.  
 
I tried this yesterday.  I guesstimated that 8 limes would give me 1 cup, they did but I really needed 10 limes to fully submerge the onions (I made up the difference with a little water).  Got to use my new fahncy citrus squeezer, that worked great.  Had a few slices on my lunch tacos, wow.  I won't be using vinegar again.  The hot water supposedly pulls the red color into the rest of the onion, and these did look different from what I usually make.  
 
Mr. Bayless mentioned a couple variations: adding mexican oregano and cracked black pepper (which I did), using sour orange juice instead of lime juice (next time, as my local mexican market carries them), and adding a sliced habañero or clove of garlic (will be trying those too).  These are a keeper.    

Photo Egg

Sounds like a winner. I’m not a big vinegar fan so the lime is perfect for me.

4TheGrillOfIt

I started doing that too.  Bayless has some great videos.  

Stormbringer

SWMBO will be trying this

fishlessman

I see this on some liverwurst in my future

Photo Egg

Bought ingredients today. Will be chopping soon!

Photo Egg

loco_engr

Great post! TY

billyray

Here's a recipe I use from Jean-Pierre. I'm going to try it with the lime juice instead of vinegar and see how it turns out.

Makes a 3 ½ cups / 750ml jar

• 1 or 2 Red Onions
• 1 Red Chili Pepper cut into quarters seeds removed
• ¾ cup Red or White Wine Vinegar
• ¾ cup Water
• ¼ cup Sugar
• 1 tablespoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 2 or 3 Star Anise Seeds
• 1 tablespoon Whole Black Pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

 

1.            Mix all ingredients except the chili pepper and the anise seed.  

2.   Cut the onion into very thin slices and cover them with boiling water and leave them covered for about 30 minutes.

3.   Drain the onion and place them in your jar and add the chili pepper and the anise seed.

4.   Pour the pickle juice on top and let it to room temperature for about 2 hours and refrigerate up to 1 month.

6baluts

- Have been following this thread and guess I will have to get off top dead center and give this a whirl.
- Have mentioned in the past that I am a large fan of Salsa Criolla. When making that you use lime juice in a 2:1 ratio or more to vinegar along with red onions, peppers and other goodies.
- Thanks @Botch for the original post.

fishlessman

Photo Egg said:

Impressed on how deep the red gets compared to a vinegar soak

JohnInCarolina

Here's the video of Rick explaining these that @Botch referenced:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObM31A8yLFk

Photo Egg

fishlessman said:

Photo Egg said:

Impressed on how deep the red gets compared to a vinegar soak

I added some fresh ground pepper but next time I will also add some kind of hot peppers. It’s a nice change from normal toppings.

nolaegghead

I just opened a jar of 4 year old kimchi.  Still smells good.  Which is bad to most people.

fishlessman

Would be nervous to open it if it was stored in a glass jar after that long. I can imagine it exploding while sitting on a shelf

fishlessman

Photo Egg said:

fishlessman said:

Photo Egg said:

Impressed on how deep the red gets compared to a vinegar soak

I added some fresh ground pepper but next time I will also add some kind of hot peppers. It’s a nice change from normal toppings.

I normally make a vinegar batch when making Korean tacos. Lime can only be better

Langner91

I know @Botch mentioned it in the OP, but you cannot have too many limes/too much juice!

I made these today, I had 11 limes and I still wish I had more.  

Have extra limes on hand if you try it.  I had to leave some onions out because I couldn't get enough lime juice to cover them.  

I can't wait to try them, though!

Photo Egg

Langner91 said:

I know @Botch mentioned it in the OP, but you cannot have too many limes/too much juice!

I made these today, I had 11 limes and I still wish I had more.  

Have extra limes on hand if you try it.  I had to leave some onions out because I couldn't get enough lime juice to cover them.  

I can't wait to try them, though!

I cheated and did the lime juice part in a ziplock bag with the onions the first 2 days. Then put them into a container.

Langner91

The way I figure it, if I were to use both of my LARGE red onions (they were very big comparably speaking), I would have needed 16 SMALL limes (the ones that are in the stores here right now are about 2/3 the size of the ones in the video above.

Next time, I will have 18-20 limes of this size before I start.  I like to put the onions in pint jars and I think that will do it.

@Photo Egg Your ziploc idea is genius!  That would have saved me from wasting some onion slices.

Gulfcoastguy

Okay I bought a dozen limes and 2 red onions. We shall see.

Botch

I saw at the supermarket you can buy 100% lime juice in bottles, next to the other fruit juices on the shelves (not the refrigerated section).  I paid less for the 8 limes than the bottle cost, but didn't note its capacity (will check next time).  
Mine were tasty on my red beans and rice today, although I'll eschew the sour cream in the future.  

Gulfcoastguy

Limes are 2 for a dollar here though they are fairly large. I saw the bottles of plastic lime juice. Unfortunately if it is like bottled lemon juice I can taste the preservatives. I also bought a half of a pork loin and am thinking pork loin sandwiches.
 I have a killer wet rub using lime and a lot of other ingredients but I save it for company. Will probably do the same for the pickled onions after a trial batch.

caliking

Thanks, Botch. I'll definitely try this. 

Langner91

Tasted mine today on a "Chicken Thigh Taco".  They are way different than the ACV ones I usually make!  Holy cow, these are good, and the color!

fishlessman

wonder how this would work with a mix of lime and white vinegar.  before covid limes here were 5 for a buck, now its two for and every once and a while a buck apiece. i like the zip lock idea, use less and flip it every once in a while.

HeavyG

fishlessman said:

wonder how this would work with a mix of lime and white vinegar.  before covid limes here were 5 for a buck, now its two for and every once and a while a buck apiece. i like the zip lock idea, use less and flip it every once in a while.

The Mexican drug cartels have been screwing up lime prices for about the last decade or so.

fishlessman

HeavyG said:

fishlessman said:

wonder how this would work with a mix of lime and white vinegar.  before covid limes here were 5 for a buck, now its two for and every once and a while a buck apiece. i like the zip lock idea, use less and flip it every once in a while.

The Mexican drug cartels have been screwing up lime prices for about the last decade or so.

maybe the free fentanyl they put in the limes isnt really free.  really though, 12 bucks in limes to make a red pickled onion seems a bit much......

Botch

I guess, Fish, that's your price for having cheap lobster (for which I'd gladly trade, think I'd paid $3 for the 8 limes I bought).  

JohnInCarolina

fishlessman said:

HeavyG said:

fishlessman said:

wonder how this would work with a mix of lime and white vinegar.  before covid limes here were 5 for a buck, now its two for and every once and a while a buck apiece. i like the zip lock idea, use less and flip it every once in a while.

The Mexican drug cartels have been screwing up lime prices for about the last decade or so.

maybe the free fentanyl they put in the limes isnt really free.  really though, 12 bucks in limes to make a red pickled onion seems a bit much......

Maybe plant a lime tree?

fishlessman

JohnInCarolina said:

fishlessman said:

HeavyG said:

fishlessman said:

wonder how this would work with a mix of lime and white vinegar.  before covid limes here were 5 for a buck, now its two for and every once and a while a buck apiece. i like the zip lock idea, use less and flip it every once in a while.

The Mexican drug cartels have been screwing up lime prices for about the last decade or so.

maybe the free fentanyl they put in the limes isnt really free.  really though, 12 bucks in limes to make a red pickled onion seems a bit much......

Maybe plant a lime tree?

my kaffir lime tree made it about 15 years, but died 2 years back....but that was for the leaves.

fishlessman

Botch said:

I guess, Fish, that's your price for having cheap lobster (for which I'd gladly trade, think I'd paid $3 for the 8 limes I bought).  

the limes dont look good right now either, small and hard like a rock. the small lobster pounds are closed up for the season so theres that as well