Yucatán-Style Pickled Red Onions in Sour-Orange Juice Recipe

By
J. Kenji López-Alt
Kenji Lopez Alt
J. Kenji López-Alt
Culinary Consultant
Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.
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Updated March 26, 2019
20160510-pickled-red-onion-yucatan.jpg
Photograph: J. Kenji López-Alt

Why It Works

  • Par-cooking the onions in water softens them while allowing you to keep the bright, fresh flavor of the citrus juice uncooked.
  • Using a combination of grapefruit, lime, and orange juice replicates some of the floral, bitter aroma of Seville oranges if they are unavailable.

These sweet, salty, and tangy pickled onions are the perfect accompaniment to braised, slow-roasted, or smoked meats. Use them in tacos, burritos, fajitas, or sandwiches.

Recipe Details

Yucatán-Style Pickled Red Onions in Sour-Orange Juice Recipe

Active 10 mins
Total 2 hrs 10 mins
Serves 16 servings
Makes 2 cups pickled red onions

Ingredients

  • 1 red onion, finely diced

  • 15 whole black peppercorns

  • 15 whole allspice berries

  • 4 bay leaves

  • 1/3 cup juice from 1 grapefruit (2 1/2 ounces; 80ml) (see note)

  • 1/3 cup juice from 1 to 2 oranges (2 1/2 ounces; 80ml) (see note)

  • 1/3 cup juice from 4 to 5 limes (2 1/2 ounces; 80ml) (see note), plus a little extra just in case

  • Salt

Directions

  1. Place onion, peppercorns, allspice, and bay leaves in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from heat, drain carefully, and transfer onions to a sealable container, such as a Mason jar.

  2. Add grapefruit, orange, and lime juice. Onions should be submerged at this point; if they aren't, top off with extra lime juice. Stir to combine, season to taste with salt (they should be quite salty—use about 1 teaspoon of kosher salt or 1/2 teaspoon of table salt), cover, and refrigerate until color deepens, about 2 hours. Onions can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Do not eat peppercorns, allspice berries, or bay leaves.

Notes

Seville oranges are sometimes available in Latin markets. If available, use 6 tablespoons Seville orange juice in place of the grapefruit, lime, and orange juice combination.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
10Calories
0gFat
2gCarbs
0gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories10
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 73mg3%
Total Carbohydrate 2g1%
Dietary Fiber 0g1%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 6mg31%
Calcium 6mg0%
Iron 0mg1%
Potassium 41mg1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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