Quick pickled red onions recipe. Friends don’t let friends eat Mexican food without pickled red onions! Tart, sweet, a little heat and a whole lot of personality. Pickled red onions are a great topping for a taco, burrito, enchilada or even a burger.
Our first Christmas celebration was with friends Greg and Cauleen. I decided on serving up a Mexican theme. Stay tuned for more dishes from this dinner, but for now let’s start out talking about pickled red onions.
So easy and with so much impact, there’s absolutely no excuse not to give these a try. Tart and sweet, add a hot bite from the onions, some heat from the red pepper and these onions bring the Fiesta to any Mexican meal.
Quick Pickled Red Onions for Tacos
Pickled red onions are a superb addition for tacos. But scoop a heaping spoonful onto enchiladas, tostadas or even a hearty serving of pinto beans and you’ve got yourself a new flavor experience.
The first time I had pickled onions was as a topping for fish tacos at a local, now sadly defunct restaurant, Chama, created by my favorite local restauranteur, Sean Yontz. I thought they were the best thing since sliced bread. Yontz has since opened up a new restaurant, El Diablo, (now closed) and the fish tacos topped with these beautiful onions live on.
This is my third attempt to duplicate Yontz’s recipe, combining ingredients from several versions I found on the Internet. I believe I’ve come pretty close.
Mexican Pickled Red Onions Recipe
I hope you give this quick Mexican pickled red onions recipe a try. And if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating and leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.
And if you have a favorite Mexican pickled onion recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.
What to Serve with Mexican Pickled Onions
- Enchilada Burritos
- Achiote Shredded Pork Tacos
- Saucy Chicken Soft Tacos
- Beer Braised Pulled Pork Enchiladas Verde
- Mexican Shrimp Burritos Con Queso
- Adobo Grilled Shrimp Tostadas
- Cowboy Beans
Pickled Red Onions
Ingredients
- 3/4 Cup white vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 allspice berries
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 small dried New Mexico Chile pepper Guajillo works good here
- 1 large red onion peeled, and thinly sliced into rings
Instructions
- In a small non-reactive saucepan, heat the vinegar, sugar, salt, seasonings and chile until boiling. Add the onion slices and lower heat, then simmer for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Transfer the onions and the liquid into a covered container and refrigerate. These should keep for a couple of months in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Mexican Pickled Red Onions ….They’re What’s for a Mexican Dinner.
