Recipe: Pink Pickled Onions

I'm obsessed with pickled onions; I can eat them on literally everything – burgers, with cheese, on the end of a fork straigIht out of the fridge. I particularly love these pink pickled onions; the fabulous neon colour adds a punch of colour and a zingy sweetness to almost any dish.

These are particularly great on Mexican dishes.  I really like them with Thomasina Miers’ Pork Pibil.  The sweet acidity of the onions cuts through the richness of the pork and chilli.

This is a super quick pickle recipe and also makes a really nice gift.  You can eat this pickle almost immediately, after the pickling liquor has cooled down.  However, it will be even better the following day.

Makes a two 350ml jars – though I usually just use a one litre Kilner jar.  It doesn’t quite fill the jar.

Ingredients:

• 2 large red onions – cut in half and then sliced very thinly

• 1 tsp caraway seeds

• 2 tsp black peppercorns

• 220ml apple vinegar or cider vinegar

• Juice of ½ orange

• Juice of 2 limes (the total pickling liquid should add up to 350ml – so if needed add some more lime juice or vinegar)

• 50g sugar

• 1 tbsp salt

Put the sliced red onions in a bowl and cover in boiling water.  Leave for 30 seconds and then strain immediately.  Then put the onions into a jar or jars.

In a dry saucepan over a medium heat toast the caraway seeds for about 30 seconds, just until the seeds start to release their scent. To the same saucepan add the black peppercorns, vinegar, lime juice, orange juice, sugar and salt. Stir until all the sugar and salt have dissolved and bring to a simmer for 60 seconds. Taste the liquid just to check if you need to add any more sugar or salt.

Pour the liquid over the onions, close the jar and leave to cool.  When the mixture is cool pop it into the fridge.  The pickled onions will last for at least a couple of weeks, though they rarely last that long in our house.