Mexican Pickled Red Onions
There is a little taqueria back home in Carmel Valley, CA where a little woman named Lucy runs the show and makes one of the best chicken burritos I've ever had. It is not so much the actual "burrito" that is so magical, but more so the chicken! I usually end up ordering the tostada salad that comes topped with a heaping pile of her shredded lime chicken and somehow I feel like I made the healthier choice even though it is literally just a deconstructed version of the burrito. The restaurant is tiny but there is a self-serve salsa bar and in that salsa bar lives the most amazing pickled onions. I dream about those onions...they are crunchy, tangy and addictive...so so tasty.
Thinking about those onions (and the fact that they are currently about 375 miles from where I am) made me want to replicate them. Last night's dinner consisted of garlic chicken on the barbecue topped with mole sauce and then stuffed into warm wheat tortillas with sour cream and fresh cilantro. Dinner was great. The mole sauce was smokey with a hint of chocolate and the garlic chicken was flame-grilled perfection. However, that was not the most exciting part of my evening; I also made mexican pickled red onions and they might not be exactly the same but they are pretty darn close to Lucy's onions minus that fact that she uses white onions. Alas! ....my craving is satisfied.
These pickled onions are super easy to make and they are delicious on everything...really, though.
Mexican Pickled Red Onions
Ingredients:
- 2 medium red onions, halved lengthwise, root ends removed, and thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from about 4 medium limes)
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from about 5 medium oranges)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 jalapeño pepper, halved lengthwise, seeds removed, and very thinly sliced
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add onions and blanch for about 15 seconds. Drain well and set aside.
- Combine lime juice, orange juice, sugar, and salt in a large nonreactive bowl, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add blanched onion slices and jalapeño, and stir to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
Sarah Simms