Pickled Jalapeños (with Carrots and Onions Too!)
Pickled Jalapeños are a very popular garnish, topping or side for plenty of Mexican foods like tortas, tacos, quesadillas, grilled meats, rice, beans, tostadas… just to name some. So much so, that in many Restaurants, they are placed in the center of the table along the side of salt, pepper and a breadbasket. Many people nibble on them right out of the bowl… They are popular in Mexican Pizzerias too!
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 24 hr 15 min
- Yield
- 15 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
- 3 lb jalapeño chiles (rinsed, sliced and seeded)
- 3 lb carrots (peeled and diagonally sliced)
- 1 lb white pearl onions or large scallions (white and light green parts only)
- 4 tbsp kosher or coarse sea salt
- 15 to 20 garlic cloves
- 1 cup safflower or corn oil
- 2 cup white distilled vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the Jalapeños, remove the stems, slice in half and scoop out the seeds. (Since there are quite a few chiles to clean you may want to use gloves). Place them in a large mixing bowl. Rinse the carrots, remove their tops, peel and diagonally slice into about 1/4″ thick pieces. Place in the large mixing bowl along with the Jalapeños. Peel the pearl onions of the outer dry skin and add into same bowl. Sprinkle all these vegetables with the salt, toss around and let them sit for about an hour.
- 2
Place the white distilled vinegar in the blender along with the water, peppercorns, cumin seed, whole cloves, bay leaves, thyme, oregano and brown sugar. Puree until smooth.
- 3
In a large, deep and thick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking, for about 2 minutes. Carefully add the salted vegetables, reserving their juices, and fry for about 6 to 8 minutes, stirring here and there, until they begin to soften. Add the garlic cloves, and cook for 2 more minutes.
- 4
Carefully add the vegetable reserved juices, along with the white distilled vinegar mix and the rice vinegar. Let it all cook for about 5 more minutes. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
- 5
Place in a container with a lid and store in the refrigerator. I like to use glass jars. For some reason they seem to taste even better. Let the vegetables pickle for at least a day before eating. They will keep for months, if you don’t finish them before…