Quick Pickles

Ever since I was a tiny kid, I’ve been in love with pickles. I’ve also always had very specific feelings about pickles and even now, if you try and serve me a sweet pickle, that might be the end of things between us. Right now, I have at least 4 jars of pickles in my fridge, just in case. I don’t know what the “just in case” scenario is, but in a The Walking Dead scenario, I think I want to live just long enough to eat the pickles in my fridge and then we can call it good. So it sounds like I’ll make it about 24 hours into the zombie apocalypse.

I’ve started quick pickling lots of things–vegetables like carrots, onions, radishes, and peppers also handle this treatment extremely well. But. Just plain cucumbers are always my favorite. These are delicious on tacos, stir fries, sandwiches, eaten by themselves while I stare into the fridge at 11:30 pm, pondering the meaning of life.

You’ll need 8-9 ounces of English or baby cucumbers, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and smashed garlic. You’ll also need some rice vinegar, but how much depends on how long you’re planning on storing these (or how quickly you’re planning on eating them!)

If you’re in a hurry and you’re whipping these up to eat as soon as dinner is done cooking, use 1 cup of rice vinegar. If, on the other hand, you’re prepping them in advance for dinner later in the day or you just want to snack on them, use 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup water. Using the full cup of vinegar will help get these pickle-y enough in just a few minutes, but if you come back to those same pickles in a few hours, you might question some of your life choices.

To make these, trim ends off the cucumbers. Using a vegetable peeler and steady pressure, shave each cucumber into ribbons

and place in a small mixing bowl.

Gently toss with remaining ingredients,

cover, and refrigerate for at least 20-30 minutes. These are a delicious snack or try serving them on top of Greek- or Asian-influenced rice bowls and stir-fries, in tacos, on top of spicy grilled meats, or on sandwiches.

If you’re looking for other ways to use up your summer cucumbers, these refrigerator pickles and these sweet and spicy cucumber slices are two of our most popular recipes!

Quick Pickles

These Quick Pickles are meant to be on your table within minutes, although they'll be good for a few days after making them. Feel free to customize them however you'd like!

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Ingredients

• 8-9 ounces baby or English cucumbers the thin skins and small seeds are perfect for making "ribbons"
• 1/2 cup OR 1 cup rice vinegar This is important! If you're eating these right away, use 1 cup vinegar; if you're planning on snacking on them or eating them in more than 30 minutes, use 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/2-1 teaspoon kosher salt start with 1/2 teaspoon and add more to taste if desired
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse freshly ground black pepper
• 4-5 cloves garlic smashed
• 5-6 ice cubes
• See notes for additional add-ins

Instructions

• Trim ends off the cucumbers. Using a vegetable peeler and steady pressure, shave each cucumber into ribbons and place in a small mixing bowl. Gently toss with remaining ingredients, cover, and refrigerate for at least 20-30 minutes. These are a delicious snack or try serving them on top of Greek- or Asian-influenced rice bowls and stir-fries, in tacos, on top of spicy grilled meats, or on sandwiches.

Notes

• For sweet pickles, add 1-3 tablespoons white sugar (to taste)
• For spicy pickles, add 1 thinly sliced jalapeño pepper or 1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Fresh basil, dill, or mint will really change the flavor profile

Author: kate jones

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