You Can't Beat a Perfect, Pickled Onion

Step 1

Gather the ingredients. The Spruce Sprinkle the salt over the dry, peeled onions. The Spruce Stir to make sure the salt is distributed and leave overnight. (Do not leave longer than overnight if you want your onions to be crisp.) The Spruce When ready, rinse the onions and dry with kitchen towel. The Spruce Mix together the pickling spices. The Spruce Place the spices, malt vinegar, and sugar into a large stainless steel pan. The Spruce Heat to dissolve the sugar, but do not boil. The Spruce Pack the onions into clean, sterilized jars. The Spruce Pour the vinegar and spice liquid over to fill the jars, making sure each jar has pickling spices and that there are no air pockets. The Spruce Seal the jars and leave to cool.

Step 2

Peeling pickling onions is fiddly and time-consuming. To speed up the process, top and tail the onions. The Spruce Then place the onions in a large heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over to cover. The Spruce Leave to cool, and once the water is cool, presto, the skins will just rub away. The Spruce Then, drain and pat the onions dry with a kitchen towel. Do not leave in the water once cool or the onions will start to go mushy when you preserve them. Once dried, proceed with the recipe. The Spruce