Quick Pickled Onions
If you haven't tried this, you don't know what you're missing! I could eat it by the spoonful and often do. This works well with Peruvian, Korean, Thai, Italian and Mexican cuisine; as well as with beef, pork, chicken, seafood, salads, sandwiches, grain bowls and just about any other savory dish. It's also perfectly acceptable as a simple side salad. I like to keep this as a staple condiment in our fridge, making more up as needed.
After you taste these onions, I don't think I'll need to persuade you to add it regularly to your meals, but just in case you need more convincing: onions are powerhouses when it comes to health benefits! In fact, forget quercetin supplements... you can get it in natural form from onions for heart and artery health. Tooth decay and oral infections? Onions can help. Anti-inflammatory? Onions are where it's at. Anti-oxidant phytonutrients? Onions rock it. Anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial, yup, that too. Onions are one of the top pre-biotic foods which means they keep the good bacteria in your tummy happy and healthy. Onions are also said to help suppress cancer growth, benefit immunity and help regulate blood sugar levels, and did I mention they're delicious... so eat up!
Quick Pickled Onions
2 cups red onion, sliced
2 Tbsp. raw apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. sea salt, or to taste
1-2 tsp. pure maple syrup, optional
1. Place red onion slices in a bowl of ice water for at least 10 minutes. This will crisp up the onions and improve their flavor, it's a process known as deflaming. No longer will you have the harsh bite of raw onion; the natural sweetness and flavor will shine through.
2. Meanwhile, whisk vinegar, lime juice, salt and maple syrup together.
3. Drain the onions and place back in bowl. Pour vinegar mixture over the onions.
4. Marinate in the fridge for at least 8 hours, stirring a few times to redistribute the marinade on the onions. The onions will release liquid as they sit in the fridge and eventually the onions will all be sitting in the juice. This is when I like them the best! The onions in the pictures were in the fridge for several days.
5. These will store several months in the fridge and I they get better after a few days.
NOTES
I usually add 2 tsp. pure maple syrup to add a hint of sweetness, not necessary, but so yummy!
A simple variation I sometimes do is to add 1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves, 1/4 tsp. ground cumin, or more to taste. Go ahead and experiment with different herbs and seasoning for variety.
Another variation is to add 1/4-1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced, 1 small garlic clove, minced and 1-2 Tbsp. minced cilantro; but honestly, keep it simple, no need to add anything, as these are great on their own. The cilantro will affect storage time, as it will not keep as long as the onions.
This is similar to a Peruvian dish called Salsa Criolla; however, I don't use the traditional olive oil because high quality extra virgin olive oil solidifies when chilled, which leaves little gobblets of olive oil on the onions. However, if you wish, you can drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on the onions before serving.
If you're worried about onion breath, chew a little parsley.