Name: Quick Red Onion and Jalapeño Pickles
Total time: 3 h 20 min
Ingredients: 1 red onion , halved and sliced thin; 2 jalapeño chiles , stemmed and sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick rings; 1 1/4 cups seasoned rice vinegar; 1/4 cup water; 2 (1-inch) strips lime zest; 2 garlic cloves , peeled and halved; 5 allspice berries; 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. Beginning with seasoned rice vinegar eliminated the guesswork, since it is already seasoned with a balanced amount of each. We bring the brine, flavored with garlic, peppercorns, mustard seeds, lime zest, and allspice berries to a simmer, pour it over sliced red onion and jalapeño 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 onion and jalapeños in 1-quart glass jar with tight-fitting lid. Combine vinegar, water, lime zest, garlic, allspice, 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.