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A beautiful and delicious condiment that takes less than 10 minutes to throw together. Perfect on salads, sandwiches, pizzas, etc.
Do believe in magic? If the answer's no, perhaps you've never made pickled red onions. There's a transformation that occurs when red onions are drenched with vinegar (and lemon juice, in this recipe) that is nothing short of amazing. An these Lemon Pickled Red Onions are nothing short of delicious!
Already quite lovely on their own, with a deep purplish red exterior and snowy white inside, red onions metamorphosize into a brilliant hue of magenta when pickled. And the the longer they hang out in the vinegar-lemon bath, the prettier they get (if you check out the salad photo below, the onions have been pickling for 24 hours and are even more vibrant)! See what I mean - it's magical! Try it, and I think you'll agree.
I've made lots of pickled red onions in the past but have always used sliced onions. This time I decided to do something a bit different and cut the onions in a fairly small dice. I was creating a new salad (coming up) and thought they'd be really pretty. Once they were done however, I've found lots of other fun uses for them; tucked in paninis, sandwiches and burgers, sprinkled on pizzas, topping grilled chicken, shrimp or salmon. I love not only the delicious flavor they add to all these things but also the gorgeous presentation they provide.
I switched things up a bit this time and, as the name suggests, I used a generous amount of fresh lemon juice in addition to white wine vinegar. The lemon juice adds a unique mild flavor and delicious freshness to the onions in contrast to most pickled red onions which use just vinegar for the brine.
Go ahead and throw together a batch of these magic onions. You'll be all set for the Lemon Oregano Grilled Chicken and Fresh Corn Salad (below) coming up soon! You'll find a zillion ways to use them and if, by chance, the jar's empty before the salad post arrives in your inbox, no worries! They take less than 10 minutes to throw together, so you can make another batch lickety-split!
Okay, I admit, I do cheat a bit. I use my Vidalia Chop Wizard to dice the onions in this recipe. I can have two onions cut in quarter-inch dice in almost less time than you can say Lemon Pickled Red Onions! This little contraption is worth it's weight in gold - I use mine all the time for soups, salads, salsas relishes...
- 2 medium red onions peeled and cut in ¼-inch dice*
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2-3 thin slices of lemon halved
- ¼ cup water
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Place a medium-size fine mesh colander in the sink.
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Heat 4 cups of water to boiling in the microwave on high power, about 5-6 minutes. Carefully add onions to the hot water. After 15 seconds, pour onions into the colander to drain.
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Transfer onion and lemon slices to a jar (or several jars) that will contain the onions. You want the onions to fill the jar(s) to the brim, but don’t pack them in.
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Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, in a medium size microwave-safe bowl. Stir, then cook on high for three minutes. Remove from microwave, add fresh lemon juice and stir to make sure all of the sugar and salt is dissolved.
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Pour hot solution over the onions. Add enough water to bring liquid level to the top of the jar(s). Watch the beautiful color transformation begin to take place!! Color change will continue for the next 12 hours.
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Cover the jar and allow to cool for 30 minutes then refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours before eating. This will allow flavors to meld. Onions will keep well in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.
*I use my Vidalia Chop Wizard to dice the onions in this recipe. It's a wonderful, time-saving tool for chopping onions, peppers, carrots, potatoes, turnips, squash, you name it!
Kristy says
I'm making this for dinner tonight so I haven't actually tasted it yet but I did want to mention one thing. I heated the vinegar, sugar, & salt in the microwave for 3 mins as step 4 instructs. Since I was doing other things in the kitchen at the time, I didn't watch it like I normally do & when the 3 mins was up, I opened my microwave up to a bowl of blackened magma. LOL So, when I made a second batch, I only heated it for 30 seconds & that worked fine. Just wanted to mention that you may want to adjust step 4 to say something like "heat until dissolved" or something like that. 🙂
Judy says
Love these!
Sandra Garth says
I look forward to trying this out on my family and I'm sure they will be as excited as I am. Your pictures are amazing!
Melissa Shores says
I did buy the Chop Wizard after your recommendation. AMAZING! And kinda fun to use, if I'm being honest. Haha 🙂
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
I've always sliced my onions and like your diced version of pickled onions better. I think they will be easier to use as well.
Chris Scheuer says
I never thought of doing anything besides slicing till now. I really like the dice better for most things!
Adina says
I love pickles but never pickled onions before, they definitely look wonderful! And it would be a good occasion to use my nicer dicer as well, it kind of gathers dust in the cupboard...
Denise says
Such a pretty condiment. I never use a microwave so I will use the stove top. When you microwave the vinegar mixture, are you getting it up to boiling or just very hot? Thanks. Looking forward to trying it.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Denise,
Yes, bring the vinegar mixture to boiling. Enjoy!
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
I am a big fan of pickled onions and make them often, but I love the idea of adding lemon! And your small dice makes it perfect for all kinds of dishes. Lovely!
John/Kitchen Riffs says
Wow, what a neat recipe! I'll bet this is loaded with flavor. And I know it looks gorgeous! Really nice -- thanks.
Monique says
So pretty!On my to do list,!
The thought of chopping though..????????I really should get a chopper..
Chris Scheuer says
you'd love one of these choppers Monique!
sue|theviewfromgreatisland says
I want to load up my next grilled hot dog with this stuff, gorgeous Chris!
Chris Scheuer says
Yum, that sounds wonderful Sue!
Ginny Hartzler says
I do like red onions, so I would like this even better! And so versatile! Not to mention pretty. Those chopping gizmos work so well !But we do not have a dishwasher, so it is really a chore to wash them. Still, for something like this you would really need one unless you have amazing knife skills.
Leanne says
How would these be if I was to process them for later use?
Can't wait to try these!
Chris Scheuer says
I'm not sure Leanne. I haven't tried to process them for later use, they just get eaten up too fast!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert says
What a treat this must be - on everything! We would love this on tacos, salads, and sandwiches! Another beautiful and simple recipe - thanks Chris - sharing 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Tricia, yes we pile them on everything!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Beautiful lighting! You make simple things so adorable and gorgeous, Chris.
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you Angie, what a sweet thing to say!