Pickled Jalapeños and Red Onion

Personally, I'm not big on pickled jalapeños, but my husband Chuck loves them. He puts them on things you'd expect (like chili, tostadas, tacos, burritos and quesadillas), but he also loves them on all kinds of sandwiches and in soup. I think I've even seen him put them in his scrambled eggs. So I thought he'd enjoy some homemade ones for a change. And even though I'm not a good judge of which is better, I can tell you that the homemade ones definitely look nicer. The jarred ones from the store are way less vibrant (and a little sad). Plus when you make them yourself, you can add red onions, which is really nice with the touch of heat they get from the hot peppers. Those I can handle.

PICKLED JALAPEÑOS AND RED ONION

5 small jalapeños, left whole or cut into ½-inch slices (with seeds)

1 red onion (about 12 ounces), halved lengthwise, cut thinly crosswise

2 cups seasoned rice vinegar

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt

1.       Place onion and jalapeños in a 1-quart glass jar. (If using whole jalapeños, poke each one a few times with a fork first so the pickling liquid can permeate the pepper.)

2.       Mix vinegar, lime juice, and salt in small saucepan. Bring just to boil, stirring until salt dissolves. Pour over onion and jalapeños.

3.       Put the lid on and let stand at room temperature until cool. Refrigerate for at least 1 day (preferably for 1 week) before using.

slightly adapted from Bon Appétit, January 2006 (by Bruce Aidells and Nancy Oakes)

sliced red onion

jalapeños

sliced jalapeños

jalapeños & red onion in jar

lime halves

seasoned rice vinegar and lime juice

adding salt

pouring the hot mixture in the jar

I pressed them down a little, just to
make sure everyone was submerged.

side view right after pouring the hot vinegar mixture in

top view right after pouring the hot mixture in

the next day

Did I mention the pretty pink color
the pickling liquid turns after a while?

Those of you who are into genuine pickling can seal the
jar the right way to make them last a really long time.

close up
You can see the color of the jalapeños
gets duller after soaking in the liquid

.