Pickles
Habanero pickled red onions
Cebollas encurtidas are the pink pickled onions served with cochinita pibil and on just about everything else in Mexico's Yucatán. They're bright, crunchy, sour and hot, and brilliant on tacos, burgers, salads and grilled meat.
The habanero sits in the jar to flavour the pickle, so the onions are hot without being overwhelming. Slice it thinly if you want more bite. Red or white habanero both work.
- Prep 10 min
- Makes 1 x 500 ml jar
Ingredients
- 2 red onions, thinly sliced into rings
- 1 habanero chilli, halved or thinly sliced
- 125 ml lime juice
- 60 ml orange juice
- 60 ml cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp dried oregano
Method
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Step 1
Soften
Put the onions in a bowl, cover with boiling water for 30 seconds, then drain. This softens their raw bite.
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Step 2
Pack
Pack the onions and habanero into a clean 500 ml jar.
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Step 3
Pickle
Mix the lime juice, orange juice, vinegar, salt and oregano, pour over the onions and press down so they're covered.
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Step 4
Wait
Leave for at least an hour at room temperature, until bright pink. Keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Grow your own
The chillies in this recipe are easy to grow from seed in New Zealand.
