This post is pure utilitarian enjoyment: No stories, just the recipe for one of my most beloved kitchen staples—quick-pickled shallots, infused with whole coriander seed. I can’t remember when I first brought this jar of magic into my life, but if I had to bet, I’d guess it had something to do with my friend Phyllis Grant, of Dash & Bella. Phyllis uses pickle brine in ways I’ve never even imagined, and as I saw her incorporate this liquid umami-booster into salad dressings, pasta sauces, and roasted fig tartines, I got brine envy. I wanted my own.
And while I love pickled cucumbers in their own right, I wanted something a bit farther-reaching, and a lot easier. Pickled onions crossed my mind—they’re certainly delicious. But I feel onions are usually best caramelized, and am wary of them in their raw (or sometimes even pickled) state. Shallots, though, shallots were a horse of another color. I love shallots for their allium soul and their light expression. They’re everything you love about onions and nothing you don’t. They’re not abrasive in flavor, and they won’t leave your palate aching with onioniness hours later.
More than a year later, and my self-same quick-pickled shallot jar is still going strong. I use these shallots on everything from salads to frittatas to hummus avocado toast to tacos—and, yes, I do find myself splashing their brine in quite a lot, too. It makes a mean salad dressing. The brine is particularly sensational with the addition of crushed coriander seeds, lending it an herbaceous warmth that I love.
If you’ve never quick-pickled anything before, remember that quick is the operative word. It’s a very easy process. You’ll simply pack the desired pickling subject into a jar, bring a brine of water, vinegars, sugar, and salt to a boil, and pour it into the jar. Let it cool, shake it up, throw it in the fridge and you’re done. As the months tick along, I find myself adding carrots and radishes to the mix, as the spirit moves me. This is a free quick-pickling world—enjoy.
Here are a few recipes where you can use your quick-pickled shallots:
Citrus Avocado Salad with Black Pepper Almonds
Challah French Toast with Sumac Yogurt & Pickled Onions from Yogurt
and so much more!
QUICK-PICKLED SHALLOTS.
Ingredients
- ½ pound shallots, trimmed, peeled, and very thinly sliced (about 1 mm)
- 2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds, coarsely crushed with mortar and pestle
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon sea salt
- 1/2 tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Place sliced shallots in a pint-sized glass jar. Sprinkle crushed coriander seeds over the top.
- Combine water, vinegars, salt, and sugar in a non-reactive saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring to integrate ingredients.
- Remove from heat, and pour the brine over the shallots. Seal the jar, and bring it to room temperature. Shake to evenly distribute the coriander.
- Store in the fridge, re-upping the shallots and brine as you need to, up to six months.
