Blood Orange Red Onion Pickles

Ingredients

Method

1. Sanitize your jar
   Clean and sanitise your jar - the easiest way is to use the hot function on your dishwasher or give it a really good clean then spray with a no-rinse sanitiser.
   Pro tip: Star San is available at home brew shops and creates a sanitized environment without affecting flavour. It's what I use for all my pickles.
2. Prep the onion
   Finely slice your onion. I like to use a mandoline for consistent thickness, but a sharp knife works too. Pack the sliced onion into your sanitized jar.
3. Make the brine (the cold way)
   In a cup, combine the water with the salt and sugar. You can use warm water to help dissolve the salt and sugar quickly. Let it cool. Then add 50% water and 50% vinegar to the jar until the onions are fully submerged. Seal the jar.
   Critical: Never heat the vinegar. Many pickle recipes tell you to boil everything together, but this destroys all the amazing delicate aromas from the fermentation process that makes high quality vinegars special.
4. Add the aromatics
   Drop the 6 coriander seeds and strip of orange zest into the jar with the onions.
5. Let it pickle!
   Refrigerate the jar. The pickles can be eaten in about 2 hours, but they're best after 24-48 hours when the onions have had time to absorb the brine. They'll keep for a few weeks in the fridge, slowly losing their crunch over time.
6. Enjoy
   Use these pickles on sandwiches, bagels, salads, cheese boards, or as a side to smashed avocado. The blood orange gives them a beautiful pink hue and a subtle, sophisticated flavour that's a huge upgrade on traditional pickled red onions.