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How to Quick-Pickle Onions for Salads: Brine Ratios and Times
Instructions
Peel the onions and slice them into half-rings about 2-3 mm thick. Separate the layers with your fingers so the marinade gets between them.
For a milder taste, put the onions in a heatproof bowl, pour boiling water over them for 20-30 seconds and tip them straight into a colander. Leaving them in hot water longer makes them softer, not crunchier. If you want to keep more crunch, skip the scalding and use raw onions.
Let the water drain. Return the onions to the bowl, add the sugar, salt and 2 tablespoons of room-temperature drinking water. Stir until the salt and sugar are evenly spread.
Pour in 2 tablespoons of 6% apple cider vinegar. Stir, leave for 30 minutes and stir a couple more times during that time. Taste: for a stronger flavour you can leave the onions in the marinade longer, but in the fridge.
Before adding the onions to a salad, tip them into a sieve and let the marinade drain. Do not pour it into the finished salad: the extra liquid will thin the dressing. The onions can also be served on their own with fish, sandwiches or boiled potatoes.
Which onion and vinegar to use
The quantities are for two small peeled onions weighing about 200 g in total. You can mix ordinary and red onions, as in the photo. A red colour does not by itself mean a mild taste: the heat depends on the variety. Very large onions are best weighed, with the marinade scaled up to match.
A tablespoon here is 15 ml. You need apple cider vinegar with 6% acidity, not vinegar essence. If your bottle has a different strength, use the substitution below.
Onion Pickling Brine: Ratios for 2 Onions
In every option, add 1 tsp sugar and 0.5 tsp salt for 2 small onions (about 200 g). A tablespoon is 15 ml. The brine ends up at about 3% acid, slightly stronger than most tested quick-pickle recipes (2-2.5%), so 30 minutes is enough.
| What you pickle with | Ratio and time |
|---|---|
| Apple cider vinegar 6% main recipe | 2 tbsp vinegar and 2 tbsp water, 30 min |
| Table vinegar 9% sharper taste | 4 tsp (20 ml) vinegar and 40 ml water, 30 min |
| Wine vinegar 6% good for red onion | 2 tbsp vinegar and 2 tbsp water, 30 min |
| Rice vinegar 4-4.5% mild taste | 3 tbsp vinegar and 1 tbsp water, 30 min |
| Lemon juice about as acidic as 5% vinegar | 2 tbsp juice and 1 tbsp water, 30 min |
| Vinegar essence 70% only after diluting | dilute 1:7 to 9% first, then use as table vinegar |
Never add undiluted essence to a salad or brine: it is a concentrated acid that causes severe burns. To dilute it, 1 tbsp essence to 7 tbsp water gives 9% vinegar. Keep essence labelled, out of reach of children and never in drink bottles.
How to Keep the Crunch and Remove Bitterness
- Slice pole to pole, from tip to root: fewer cells are broken, so the onion is less pungent.
- Slice just before pickling. Bitter compounds build up in cut onion over time; after half an hour on the board it is noticeably more bitter.
- Soak for 15 minutes. In America's Test Kitchen tests, a 5-minute soak did little, while 15 minutes in cold water clearly softened the taste. For white onion, a solution of 1 tbsp baking soda per cup of water works even better; rinse the onion afterwards. Red onion turns blue in soda, so soak it in plain water.
- A short scald of 20-30 seconds makes the onion softer. Skip it if you want crunch.
- If the onions turn out too sour, rinse them quickly with drinking water, pat them dry and add them to the salad in small portions.
Storage and serving
This is a quick snack, not a preserve for room-temperature storage. Put any leftover onions with their brine in a clean closed jar in the fridge, at no more than 4 °C, and use them within 7 days, the time given for quick pickles by NC State Extension and America's Test Kitchen. Drained brine can be used as a dressing within 1-2 days.
For a salad with mayonnaise, drain the marinade especially well. For a vegetable salad, first mix a small portion of onions with the vegetables, taste, and only then add salt and a sour dressing. The calorie figure is approximate: some of the sugar and marinade stays in the bowl.
Salads That Use Pickled Onions
- Herring under a fur coat: the onion goes on the fish layer.
- Vinaigrette with sauerkraut and other vegetable salads.
- Men's Whim salad with beef: the pickled onion is its key flavour.
- Chicken liver salad with pickled cucumbers.
Video
FAQ
Can you pickle onions for a salad without boiling water? +
Yes. Mix thinly sliced raw onions with the marinade and leave for 30 minutes. They keep more crunch; a sharp variety may keep a noticeable bite.
Can pickled onions be made without sugar? +
You can simply leave the sugar out. The marinade will taste more sour. Honey also contains sugars and does not make the recipe sugar-free.
How long should onions marinate for a salad? +
For half-rings 2-3 mm thick, about 30 minutes. Thicker slices and sharp varieties need longer.
Can this marinade be used for canning? +
No. The recipe is meant for a quick snack and short storage in the fridge, not for sealing in jars.
How can you pickle onions faster, in 15 minutes? +
Slice the onion as thinly as possible, pole to pole, and cover it with the brine. After 15 minutes it is noticeably softer and tangier; the full flavour comes at 30 minutes.
Can you pickle onions in lemon juice? +
Yes. Lemon juice is about as acidic as 5% vinegar. Use 2 tbsp juice and 1 tbsp water for 2 onions, add the sugar and salt and wait 30 minutes.
How do you pickle red onions for a salad? +
The same way as white ones; apple cider or wine vinegar suit them best. Red onion turns bright pink in an acidic brine, which is the normal reaction of its pigments to acid.
How do you dilute vinegar essence for a brine? +
Only in advance and separately: 1 tbsp 70% essence to 7 tbsp water gives 9% vinegar. Never add undiluted essence to a brine or salad; it causes chemical burns.
How long do pickled onions keep? +
In a closed jar under the brine in the fridge, for up to 7 days. Drained brine works as a dressing for another 1-2 days. Do not keep them at room temperature.
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