Pickled Brussels Sprout Halves Recipe

Once a year, my husband and I take a vacation to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. As a holiday destination, it has many things going for it. First, it is all of an hour and a half's drive from our home in Center City Philadelphia but still manages to feel worlds away from our urban neighborhood. Second, everything from groceries to accommodation is more affordable compared to other drivable locales. And third, it is the land of pickles.

Truly, everywhere you go, you encounter walls of pickles. From supermarkets to gift shops, you can't turn around without spotting jars of pickled beans, cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes, relishes, beets, and more. As you might guess, I adore it.

It was on one of these vacations that I discovered pickled Brussels sprouts. I've been a sprout fan for years. Love them roasted, sautéed, shredded or even quartered and added to soup. But I had never thought of pickling them before spotting that jar.

Of course, as soon as we returned home, I searched the available recipes and cobbled together a few in an attempt to recreate that storebought jar. I've made many batches since then, and have settled on a favorite recipe. It includes garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, and mustard seeds. They're wonderfully zingy.

Before You Start

Before you start cleaning your sprouts, here are a few things you should know.

Trim and halve the sprouts; it makes for better brine absorption. Note: if your sprouts are tiny, there's really no need to cut them in half.

If you like your pickles to have a bit of heat, add 1/8 teaspoon red chile flakes to each jar.

Be warned, because Brussels sprouts are brassicas, they will be a little bit stinky when you open the jar. There's nothing wrong, it's just their natural fragrance.