This lightning-fast Mexican topping is made for Tacos-but it works on everything
I have never met an pickled red onion that I didn’t like. These delicate allia make a clumsy burden TacosPresent Kitschy pizzaand evenly potato salad– World better than the hard, sharp snapshot of raw onions. But the word “cucumber” conjures up pictures of long cutting processes – even “fast” cucumbers, in which a vinegar tray is poured over a vegetable and soaks for several hours, more time than I often have.
We treated “fast” onions in serious eating areas before – Daniel has written about how effective a short soaking can be in the vinegar and you have taken into many of his recipes over the years. This variant, which we learned from the boss and food stylist Julian Hensarling, exposes the vinegar with lime juice against an even fresher, brighter taste. It is a version he learned in La Paz, Mexico (where he ate his body weight in Tacos). There he noticed taquerias and street sellers, the cucumbers gathered with nothing more than red onions, lime juice and salt. He is now constantly making her in his home kitchen and throws a new batch together every few weeks because he goes through it so quickly.
How to make Cebollas Encurtidas (lime -magic onions)
The choice of onions is a relatively hand-off process that only requires about 15 minutes for the onions to develop your bright magenta color and your typical tang. Note that you can also use yellow or white onions here, but red onions give the cucumber their characteristic bright magenta paint.
- Cut the onions. Slow the onions thinly in slices and put them in a glass, a ceramic or a plastic container. A sharp knife is important here, creates clean helps to prevent tears). The thickness of the slide thickness too: thicker slices last longer than thinner slices.
- Add lime juice and salt. Press the lime directly into the glass by hand or with a citrus squeeze. To extract more juiceMicrowave the lime until they feel warm for 10 to 15 seconds, as warm citrus fruits cause more juice. The amount of salt used should be in relation to the lime juice. Julian uses a teaspoon of diamond crystal kosher salt per three juic lime and three small red onions. The amount of liquid may seem sparse at first – this is normal. The onions will soften through osmosis and quickly release moisture and make water from the onion cells. At this point, the liquid volume will increase and the onions will collapse in a denser stack and finally dive into the salt lake.
- Shake and wait. Close the container and shake it well to ensure that the salt is evenly distributed. Raw onions have a sharp bite, but after only 15 minutes they softened into sour and delicate cucumber. The cucumbers are ready to use at this point, but if they leave them for a few hours, the flavors will continue to merged and deepen.
- Save. Cool until they are ready to eat. Use the pickled onions within two weeks for the best taste and the best texture. They will stay longer because the salt solution slows down the spoilage, but the taste and texture are best in the first two weeks. Avoid freezing because you become mushy when thawing.
How to use pickled onions
As soon as the inserted onions inserted almost every dish that requires a powerful, sour kick, you can lighten. Imagine a cut of lime – but with texture and deeper taste.
- Great Tacos, roastedAnd Chilaquiles For a classic pairing.
- layer on CitizensPresent SoupPresent pizzaPresent SandwichesPresent grilled meatPresent SaladPresent Cerealand evenly Sausage boards. I like to lay caramelized and pickled onions on a juicy, cheesy burger to catch the entire range of the Allium taste. The sweetness of the caramelized onions fits wonderfully with the light, assertive bite of their inserted counterpart.
- Dice and wrinkles in potato saladPresent Hearty bean dishesAnd Creamy Mac and cheese.
Take away
The influence of onions does not require much planning – or even vinegar. With only red onions, lime juice and salt, you can make a living, spicy cucumber in about 15 minutes. Use them wherever you want a hit from citrushiness and crunch – tacos, hot dogs, grilled meat, salads and beyond.
