How To Pickle Red Onions The Quick Way

Onions are a crucial ingredient in countless dishes around the globe. While they are different, white, red, and yellow onions all have their place in the culinary world. One of the best uses for red onion is pickling; pickled red onions are the perfect colorful topping for your salads, broccoli cheddar tacos, or any other dish you want to jazz up. You might think that pickling red onion is a complicated and time-consuming process, but we spoke to Angelo Sosa, executive chef of Kembara and Tía Carmen in Phoenix, Arizona, as well as Carmocha and another location of Tía Carmen in Indian Wells, California, who told us otherwise.

According to Sosa, you can easily and quickly pickle red onions. Once you've boiled your vinegar brine and prepared your onions, Sosa said to "pour boiling vinegar [brine] over onions in a large bowl and cover with plastic to cool for approx. 20-30 minutes. Using Cryovac bags fill each bag with onions and Cryovac to remove all air creating an environment where the onions will last." 

This method works so well because a vacuum-sealed bag essentially forces the flavorful brine into the onion much faster. This, in addition to the initial 20 to 30 minute pickling period, will give you well-pickled and incredibly flavorful red onions in record time.

Angelo Sosa explained that, for this method, the sliced onions "should not be too thin or too large; they should be around ⅛ of an inch [thick] so the vinegar brine can penetrate through and not denature the onions. The onions after resting should have a crisp texture." If you slice them too thin, there's a good chance they'll lose their structure after being vacuum sealed. This will result in them becoming overly soft (their crunch is what makes pickled red onions such a good topping).

Your crisp quick-pickled onions can go on practically any dish that needs a pop of color, flavor, or texture — think burgers and sandwiches that could use some tanginess to cut through their fatty or meaty flavors. Adding pickled onion to salads like a buckwheat grain salad or Caesar salad will provide an element of brightness and a beautiful pop of color. Egg dishes, like omelets, will also benefit from having pickled onion added as a topping — the onion adds an extra dimension to the mild flavor of eggs while also introducing a crisp texture.

To further boost the flavor of these dishes, take another piece of advice from Sosa and use the leftover pickling brine. According to the chef, this liquid can be used to make a wonderful vinaigrette. Pour this over any accompanying side salads to create a harmonious and flavorful dish.