Super Easy Super Good Pickled Onions

No canning or water baths required, and you can throw these together in the time it takes to slice an onion.

If you are hoping for something super sweet or super tangy (or super sweet and tangy) you'll want to find a different recipe.  This recipe gets most of its sweetness from apple cider vinegar which means it won't be very sugary or sour.  I was intentionally looking for a recipe that didn't contain a lot of sugar and salt.  And this one fit the bill.  The result is a nice mild onion loaded with flavor, but not so strong it overpowers everything you put them on.

Ingredients:

1 peeled red onion
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup hot water
1-2 cloves peeled garlic (optional)
5-6 peppercorns (optional)

1/4-1/2 teaspoon dried red chili flakes (optional)

Instructions:

Thoroughly clean a 1 pint mason jar and lids.  Halve then thinly slice the red onion with a sharp knife or mandolin.  Thinly slice the garlic if used.  Place the garlic, peppercorns and chili flakes in the jar, then pack the jar with the sliced onion.  I find one large red onion is perfect for a 1-pint jar, and leaves some onion left over for another use.  Fill the jar, packing slightly and leaving 1/2 inch headspace (room) at the top of the jar.  Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt and hot water, stirring until the sugar and salt are dissolved.  Pour into the jar, lightly tapping and shaking to make sure the liquid fills all the spaces.  Fill to cover the onion, but again, leaving 1/2 inch of space at the top of the jar.  Screw on the lids.

At this point, I turn the jar upside down and shake so the optional ingredients mix into the onions. If you didn't add them, this step isn't necessary.  But if you do, make sure before you refrigerate that you've opened the jar and tapped all the onion back into the liquid so it's fully covered.  

Refrigerate 24 hours before use.

I'm sure the FDA guidelines on storage will recommend only storing up to a week, so that's my official recommendation.  But unofficially, I've kept them for several weeks without worry, so long as there are no signs of mildew or spoilage.

Some ideas for uses:

These are great on sandwiches, salads, chopped and added to potato, macaroni or egg salad, topped on deviled eggs, hummus, or cheese spreads, on bagels and lox, or chopped and mixed with cream cheese for a sandwich or cracker spread.  And don't forget those burgers!  Or if you prefer, added to a bratwurst with some grainy mustard and sauerkraut. 

The possibilities are limited only by your imagination!