Name: Quick Fennel Pickles
Total time: 3 h 20 min
Ingredients: 1 fennel bulb , stalks discarded, bulb halved, cored, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices; 1 1/4 cups seasoned rice vinegar; 1/4 cup water; 2 (1-inch) strips orange zest; 2 garlic cloves , peeled and halved; 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds; 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns; 1/4 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

Why This Recipe Works

Making your own quick pickles is fun and easy and can take as little as a few hours from start to finish. Most quick pickles begin with a brine of vinegar, salt, sugar, and seasonings. Starting with seasoned rice vinegar eliminated the guesswork, since it is already seasoned with a balanced amount of each. We bring the brine, flavored with orange zest and fennel seeds, to a simmer, pour it over sliced fresh fennel bulb in a Mason jar, and then let the mixture cool completely. After a 3-hour refrigeration (or longer if possible), the pickles are ready to devour.

Before You Begin

Be sure to buy seasoned rice vinegar for this recipe. We call for a 1-quart glass jar, but a medium bowl will also work as long as the vegetables are fully submerged.

Instructions

Place fennel in 1-quart glass jar with tight-fitting lid. Combine vinegar, water, orange zest, garlic, fennel seeds, peppercorns, and mustard seeds in small saucepan and bring to boil. Pour brine into jar, making sure all vegetables are submerged. Let cool completely. Affix jar lid and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving. Pickles will keep, refrigerated, for at least 1 week.