Wonderful recipe!!! I made a red onion tart a while ago and I've just fallen in love with the mixture of red onions, vinegar (I used balsamic one), and sugar.

This is similar to a Vietnamese version of pickled red onions which is served with hot beef noodle soup. (Pho)

You cut onions into large square chunks and soak in white vinegar for a couple of hours. I think there is a bit of white sugar added, but I can't remember!

This condiment is served alongside the soup, dipped in a mixture of hoisin sauce and Shark brand hot sauce.

When we were growing up my mum would have a great big jar of pickling onions, whole green chilies and pips of garlic. It's been ages since we have had these. We use small red onions and leave them whole. It's sort of an Indian way I guess.

I love pickled onions! I particularly like the recipe posted with panucos. Usually I just use a bay leaf and some peppercorns in the water for another Mexican version, but the Yucatecan version is delish!

I've never pickled anything before, but I will definitely have to try this out. Excellent use for leftover veggies, right? Silly question, but does it have to be a glass jar? Could I use tupperware, or would that interfere with the flavor?

I am SO trying this!

Thank you, Scott! That's very helpful!

I love pickled onions! They're great with Mexican food, too. I mix them in with steamed yucca, and serve them on the side of slow-cooked achitoe pork. I also often mix in a few beet slices with the pickling mixture. It makes the color even more brilliant, and the sweetness of the beets is a nice contrast to the sharper onion flavor.

PilleAccording to my sources, white vinegar's acidity level is 4.2% in the United States. I could be mistaken, but that is the number I have seen for regular, plain distilled (or white) vinegar.

It looks like this recipe can be adapted to any vegetable that I would like to pickle! Would that be a fair assessment? Of course, I would likely change out the spices a bit depending on the produce (i.e. carrots with cumin, dried chiles, garlic, etc).

So, I tried pickling some onions last night. I sliced a yellow onion really thin, blanched it, and stuck it in a jar with some vinegar, marjoram and two bay leaves. This morning, I came downstairs and tasted one, and I was a little grossed out. Just tasted like onion and vinegar. So, while I was checking your site for new recipes today, I looked back at this pickling recipe to see what I had done wrong and... sugar! Whoops! I am such a dope -- I'm going to add some sugar over heat now and hopefully they'll taste good by tomorrow!

I just made this and it's really delicious! I had never pickled anything and didn't realize it was that easy and fast. Thanks for the great recipe!

What do you mean by "allow to stand until cooled"? Is this before I put the lids on or before you put them away? And when you say "will keep several weeks refrigerated", do you mean they have to be stored in the preserving jars in the fridge, or are they ok sitting in the pantry out of the fridge like most preserves? Thanks.

These instructions are for refrigerator pickles, not canning instructions for something shelf stable. Allow to stand until cooled means just that. Let the filled jar cool down a bit before you put it in the refrigerator. I would put the lid on first. ~Elise

Does this recipe have a high enough acid content to be appropriate for hot water bath canning?

I'm guessing yes, but with canning you never want to guess. I suggest consulting a canning book or website for guidance on this one. ~Elise