Yukatan Onion Fridge Pickle

I’ve been wracking my brains (wracking!!!) for an epic Cinco de Mayo post.  As a San Diegan I feel a particular burden of responsibility when it comes to Mexican and Latin American recipes and I want to do them all the justice I can.

(Let it be known that I have attempted numerous times to create the perfect Tacos Adobada and have been sorely disappointed in the results so I have yet to share one of my favorite San Diego classics with you all).

Our actual access to delicious Mexican food is abundant in San Diego.  Mostly it involves a ridiculous number of taco shops.  You can access any type of taco you want in San Diego, from the grungiest taco shop that is perfect for your post-drinkingbinge-eating session, to the Mexican street carts selling up your favorite fish taco, to the yipster taco shops of North Park (City Taco, how I do love you).  So many taco options and how do I choose a recipe for Cinco De Mayo?  This conundrum has long been on my mind.

Fear not my friends! I did manage to decide!  However, I’m going to leave you hanging (#sorrynotsorry) as today’s post is about the essential taco-shop condiment: Yukatan Onion Fridge Pickle.(I’m sure it’s not actually called that by any taco shop and only by pretentious bloggers, i.e. myself).

If you’ve ever been to any of San Diego’s glorious taco shops you’ll have noticed their condiment bars.  Typically at these condiment bars there are included a variety of fresh salsas, limes, cilantro, onion, and some variety of pickle.  Most often the pickle is a combination of onions and carrots, which is absolutely delicious.

However, I was so excited to find a new condiment at one of my latest taco shop discoveries, Amorcito Corazon.  I call it the Yukatan Onion pickle. This glorious condiment is bright pink, sour, and just barely sweet.  And it is the perfect accompaniment to literally ever taco you could ever want.  And it’s actually incredibly easy to make.

All you need to do is chop up some red onions, stuff them into a glass jar or bowl, heat a little vinegar, and sugar on the stove with a few delicious Latin American aromatics (i.e. bay leaf, oregano, cumin, and garlic).  Then pour it over your onions and watch the color turn bright pink right before your eyes.  Refrigerate immediately and be rewarded with the most lovely and delicately sour onion pickle known to man. And to quell any anxiety about this, I do indeed have a taco post coming your way this week.  And these onions will be the garnish.  But I’m not going to tell what they are!  (Because I’m sneaky like that).

So I will leave you, waiting with bated breath, for the next installment of The Gourmet Gourmand’s Cinco De Mayo cooking “adventure.”

(And will pause to reflect on how my cliffhanger skills are sorely inferior to what is currently happening in our favorite show about Westeros…)Until next time.

Dun dun… dundunDUNdun.. dundunDUNdun, dundunDUNNNNN… (wow. yes. that just happened.  and I’m still hitting the “publish button.”)

Yukatan Onion Fridge Pickle

Adapte from The Hungry Hounds

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 8 hours hrs

Servings 1 batch of onions

Ingredients

  

• 1 medium red onion sliced thin
• 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 garlic cloves peeled, and sliced lengthwise
• 1 bay leaf

Instructions

 

• Place sliced onions in a mason jar or other non-reactive storage container.
• If using glass, make sure it is room temperature or warmer to prevent cracking during pickling.
• In a small saucepan combine salt, vinegar, sugar, oregano, cumin, garlic cloves, and bay leaf.
• Bring to a simmer over high heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is fragrant.
• Pour hot vinegar over the onions.
• They should almost immediately begin to turn bright pink.
• Cover and refrigerate; they are able to be used within 30 minutes, but they are best if you let them pickle overnight.