Pickled onions

Ingredients

Onions

• 1.5 kgpickling onions or small shallots
• 150 gsalt
• 1.5 litreswater

Pickling vinegar

• 1.2 litresmalt vinegar
• 2 tbspsugar, optional
• 1 tbspblack peppercorns
• 1 tbspyellow mustard seed
• 2 tspcoriander seed
• 4dried chillies
• 4bay leaves
• 1cinnamon stick

To serve

• mature cheddar
• pork pie, chips

Directions

1. Peel the onions. Cover them with boiling water for 30 seconds first and the skins slip off; peeling a kilo and a half dry is a miserable job.
2. Trim the root end but do not cut into it. Cut too deep and the onion falls apart in the jar.
3. Dissolve the salt in the water, submerge the peeled onions and leave 24 hours under a plate.
4. This brining step is the whole difference between a crisp pickled onion and a soft one. It draws out water so the vinegar cannot get in and soften them later.
5. Meanwhile, warm the vinegar with the sugar and all the spices to just below a simmer, then take it off the heat, cover, and leave it to steep and go completely cold. Do not boil it hard — boiling drives off the acetic acid you are relying on.
6. Drain the onions, rinse them briefly, and pat them thoroughly dry.
7. Pack them into sterilised jars and pour over the cold spiced vinegar, straining the spices out or leaving a few in, to cover completely.
8. Seal with vinegar-proof lids — bare metal corrodes and taints the whole jar within months.
9. Leave in a dark cupboard for at least six weeks before opening. Three months is better. A pickled onion eaten in the first fortnight is nothing but raw heat.
10. They keep a year. Eat with strong cheddar, pork pie, or straight from the jar with chips.

Technique

• Brine 24 hours, cold vinegar, six weeks minimum.
• Vinegar-proof lids.
• Do not cut into the root end.

Substitutions

• Distilled malt vinegar for pale onions, brown malt for dark ones.
• Cider or wine vinegar for something gentler and less traditional.
• Sugar left out entirely for a sharp Yorkshire-style pickle.

Variations

• Silverskin onions in white vinegar, the milder cocktail sort.
• Pickled with beetroot for colour, done in the north of England.

History

A ploughman’s and chip-shop fixture; malt vinegar pickling spread with cheap industrial vinegar in Victorian Britain.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pickled onions?

Pickled onions is a fermented & pickled from United Kingdom: small onions steeped in malt vinegar, eaten with cheese, pies or chips. A ploughman’s and chip-shop fixture; malt vinegar pickling spread with cheap industrial vinegar in Victorian Britain.

How long does Pickled onions take to make?

Pickled onions takes 1 hour plus 24 hours salting and 6 weeks of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes fills 2 × 750 ml jars. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Pickled onions?

Yes, within limits. Distilled malt vinegar for pale onions, brown malt for dark ones. Cider or wine vinegar for something gentler and less traditional. Sugar left out entirely for a sharp Yorkshire-style pickle.

What is the most important thing to get right in Pickled onions?

Trim the root end but do not cut into it. Cut too deep and the onion falls apart in the jar.