Tacohuaco

Pickled onions

Mexican cuisinePickling

10 min

Red pickled onions are a classic garnishing for Mexican moles, cochinita, and pastor tacos, but do not hesitate to add them to any dish you like. They make a great combination for seafood specialties too!

Ingredients

Yields 100 g

  • 1–2 red onions
  • 1 chile
  • 1 lime  juice
  • 1–3 teaspoons vinegar
  • salt

You will need

  • 500 ml container with a tight-fitting lid

Directions

  1. Halve the onion and cut it into ¼ cm slices.
  2. Halve the chile lengthwise and cut it into very thin slices.
  3. Put the onions and the chile into a bowl.
  4. Juice the lime, and add 1–3 teaspoon vinegar into the bowl, and mix again.
  5. Add salt, thoroughly mix, and add more salt if needed.
  6. Leave the container to pickle on the counter for at least 30 minutes (the more, the better).

Notes

Try using different types of chiles when preparing the onions, the original Mexican recipe calls for habaneros, but they can be too spicy for some people and also sometimes too expensive.

If you can prepare the onions 4 to 5 hours ahead of serving them, it will enhance their flavors.

If you use white or yellow onions, try adding extra lime juice to reach the right level of acidity.

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