Pickled Onion Spices

[pickleandpreserve]

I've got a big sack of pickling onions to get through and am looking for ideas...

Which spices are people using to flavour their pickling vinegar?
I've made up one batch of onions using fresh ginger, mustard seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon and some garam marsala mix (not ground), and wondered if anyone's got any other favourites which might be worth trying out?

[OllieMartin]

I did some spicy pickles once. I put gherkins, pickling onions, chillies, garlic and tarragon in a jar with pickling vinegar. Produced very nice pickles.

[pickleandpreserve]

Sounds good, I'm keen to use chillies, did you put in whole ones or were they flakes, also dried or fresh?

[valmarg]

I tend to use pickling spice mix for spicing the vinegar for pickled onions, because it includes all (or most) of the spices needed, ie corriander seed, black peppercorns, allspice berries, dried root ginger, small dried chillies, cinnamon stick, etc.

I boil up some malt vinegar with the above mix of spices. Put a lid on the saucepan and leave to go cold. Strain the vinegar through fine muslin.

When I've peeled the onions and brined them, I rinse them and pack them into jars. I pour malt vinegar three quarters up the jar, and top off with the spiced vinegar. To have a spicy pickled onion add one or two small dried chillies to the jars.

Roll on Christmas.

The other thing I would say about pickling onions is, make sure you use pure malt vinegar, and not 'non-brewed condiment'. I think the chemical name for it is acetic acid, but it is soo sour, and will completely ruin you hard work.

valmarg

[pickleandpreserve]

Thanks for those tips valmarg, just what was needed, I shall try a few dried chillies in the next batch.
Useful to know that you only use 25% spiced vinegar, is this because it's too strong by itself?

[valmarg]

Useful to know that you only use 25% spiced vinegar, is this because it's too strong by itself?

Well, yes. The recipe I use is an 'old tried and tested' family method.

Once you have spiced the vinegar, it would be far too strong to fill the jars solely with spiced vinegar.

Be careful with the number of chillies you put in each jar. You can experiment, but you have to realise the more you put in the stronger the chilli taste is going to be.

valmarg