Chilli and Garlic Pickled Onions
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats.
Thin-sliced red onions and garlic sit in red wine vinegar with a pinch of chilli flakes until they turn bright pink and sharp-sweet. A day in the fridge is all it takes to get a crunchy, tangy condiment for tacos, sandwiches and salads.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Slice and combine. Thinly slice the red onions and garlic clove. Put them in a bowl with the chilli flakes and salt.
- 2
Cover with vinegar. Pour over enough red wine vinegar to submerge the onions completely, about 350 ml, and stir well to combine.
- 3
Rest and chill. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 24 hours. If you're not eating them straight away, transfer to the fridge.
Storage
Refrigerate in an airtight container, fully covered by the vinegar, for up to 2 weeks.
EU nutrition claims
- Low energy: 25 kcal per 100 g (limit ≤ 40 kcal)
- Low fat: 0.2 g fat per 100 g (limit ≤ 3 g)
- Low saturated fat: 0 g saturated fat per 100 g, 0% of energy (limits ≤ 1.5 g and ≤ 10%)
- Low sugars: 2.1 g sugars per 100 g (limit ≤ 5 g)
- High fibre: 3.8 g fibre per 100 kcal (needs ≥ 3 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 52 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
0 g per serving
0 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 0 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- chef's knife
- chopping board
- mixing bowl
- plastic wrap or an airtight lid
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 13 kcal |
| Protein | 0.3 g |
| Carbohydrate | 2.5 g |
| of which sugars | 1.1 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 0.1 g |
| of which saturates | 0 g |
| Fibre | 0.5 g |
| Salt | 0.49 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
2.3 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values

