Quick pickles come together in minutes and are a great way to add flavor and crunch to a meal. This twist on the classic quick pickle adds zing with Szechuan peppercorn.
I make quick pickles every few weeks and keep them in the fridge to add to salads, throw on my falafel bowls, or snack on when I need something crunchy and salty. Lately, I’ve wanted something a little spicy and have started adding Szechuan peppercorns to my pickle mixture for a little zest.
I love quick pickles because they’re not only easy to make, but you can add in whatever vegetables or herbs you have leftover in the kitchen. This time around I pickled cucumber, carrots, radishes, and shallots. Radishes are my favorite vegetable to pickle because they have their own zesty flavor that’s enhanced through pickling. But feel free to try cauliflower, green beans, okra, or whatever you have on hand.
Using the basic pickling ratio below, you can pickle just about anything. Explore adding herbs like rosemary or thyme to your pickling liquid, classic black peppercorns, or coriander seeds to find your favorite quick pickle mix.
Happy Pickling!
- A quart of loosely packed vegetables, sliced at ¼ inch.
- My mix included:
- 1 English cucumber
- 4 small carrots
- 1 bunch of radish
- 1 small shallot
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups of water
- ¼ cup kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns
- Wash and dry all of your veggies. Slice them each into ¼ inch rounds and layer them in a large 2-quart jar (or two 1-quart jars).
- Add the Szechuan peppercorns on top of the sliced vegetables, dividing the peppercorns betwene the jars if you're using two.
- In a medium saucepan, bring the apple cider vinegar, water, salt, and sugar to a boil. Once boiling and the sugar and salt have dissolved, carefully pour the liquid over the vegetables (splitting between the two jars).
- If you do not have enough liquid to completely cover the vegetables, add additional water to cover completely.
- Seal the jars and place them in the fridge to set for at least 30-minutes prior to eating, though best if they sit 2-hours or longer.
- Pickles can keep in the fridge for up to 2-weeks.
