pickled jalapeños

Cooks always act like quick-pickling veggies is simple (case in point), but I rarely do it myself because 1) it feels like an extra step, and 2) I’m never quite sure of proper ratios and correct method.

When do you let the veggies ferment at room temp and for how long?
What’s the vinegar-to-water ratio?
What kind of vinegar is best?
How much salt?
Add sugar?
Don’t add sugar?
Hot brine?
Cold brine?

It’s the little things like this that tie me up in knots. 

I still don’t know the answers to most of those questions, and I still feel like I don’t know how to make pickled jalapeños, but  — guess what — I’ve got a jar of them in my fridge. This is progress.

The first time (this recipe), I used equal parts vinegar and water, and a heck of a lot of sugar. The jalapeños weren’t tangy enough, and they were too sweet and not even that spicy. But even with all those problems, I still managed to single-handedly devour half a batch in one sitting via cheesy tortilla chips. The flaws weren’t that problematic.

The second time around (maybe this recipe?), I used way more vinegar and dramatically slashed the sugar. The jalapeños were much more to my liking, and they were a lot spicier, too (which makes me wonder: does sugar cut heat?). Even so, I thought the jalapeños tasted underwhelming at first, so I tossed in a little more sugar and salt. Perked them right up, it did. Moral of the story? The recipe isn’t set in stone; adjust the ingredients to suit your tastes. 

I’m not done learning about pickled jalapeños — this is less a fixed recipe and more a stepping stone so I don’t forget the learning I’ve already acquired. As my methods evolve, I’ll note improvements here. (That said, if you have a killer pickled jalapeño recipe and want to speed up my evolutionary process, please enlighten me. I’d be happy to Darwinian the heck out of these.) 

One more thing. On the off-chance you’re stymied as to why one might want pickled jalapeños on hand, let me ‘splain. Pickled jalapeños are secret flavor bombs that elevate the shiz out of ordinary food: potato salad, chili, scrambled eggs, tacos, pot roast, quesadillas, subs, bean dip, tuna salad, nachos, etc, etc. Once you have them, you won’t want to be without them.

Pickled Jalapeños

8-10 jalapeños, washed
2-3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 cup white vinegar
½ cup water
2-3 teaspoons salt
2-3 teaspoons sugar

Thinly slice the jalapeños into disks, discarding the stems but leaving the seeds and pith intact. Put the jalapeños and smashed garlic in a jar. 

Combine the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer, and stir to dissolve the sugar and salt. Pour the hot liquid over the vegetables. Screw on the lid and, if you want, flip the jar upside down to make sure the top veggies get good and pickled.

By the time the brine cools to room temperature, the peppers will have lost their bright green color. Transfer the jar to the fridge where the peppers should last for weeks. 

This same time, years previous: the quotidian (3.7.22), roasted sweet potato salad, one-pan roasted sausages with vegetables, the quotidian (3.7.16), by the skin of my gritted teeth, wintry days, to market, to market.