Chef Jessica Goodman has been cooking up a storm. When it comes to making each bite pop, she has a secret weapon: homemade pickles.
Nachos wouldn’t hit the same way without the acidic zing of a pickled jalapeño. When it comes to food, acid acts almost like salt: it turns up the flavor of everything it touches. Luckily, making pickled vegetables at home is actually easy. It just takes salt, sugar, vinegar, and a little time.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve made homemade pickled red onions, radishes, and jalapeños. It’s my new favorite way to use vegetables that are about to go bad, and they’re delicious on almost any dish. I’ve added them to guacamole, corn salad, and cilantro lime slaw, but I think I love them most on shrimp tacos.
Just follow the steps below, and you’ll have the perfect secret ingredient to take your tacos over the top.
Quick pickle recipe:
- Any vegetable
- 1.5 cups of vinegar
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp salt
1. Cut your vegetable into bite-sized pieces and place in a heat proof bowl.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Once the sugar is dissolved, pour this mixture over your vegetables.
3. Cover, making sure everything stays fully submerged in the liquid. Let the pickle come to room temperature and then refrigerate.
4. Once your vegetables have come to room temperature they can be used right away. They will keep refrigerated and fully submerged in the pickling liquid for up to two months.
