Pickled Red Onions a la Yucateca

Method4 steps

1. 1

   Step 1: Peel and thinly slice the red onion. In a mixing bowl, stir the bitter orange juice (1 cup), pepper, allspice (¼ teaspoon) and measured salt (½ teaspoon) together. Add the onion and both dried bay leaves (2), toss well, and adjust salt to taste if needed.

   Uses 1 cup bitter orange juice · ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper · ¼ teaspoon ground allspice · ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt · All the thinly sliced red onion · 2 dried bay leaves · Additional kosher or sea salt, to taste

2. 2

   Step 2: Rinse and dry the whole banana pepper (1). Char it in a dry skillet or comal over medium heat for 3–6 minutes, turning once or twice, until the skin is lightly charred. Keep it whole.

   Uses 1 banana pepper (güero or x’catik), rinsed and kept whole · Water for rinsing the banana pepper, as needed; drained

3. 3

   Step 3: Add the lightly charred pepper to the onion mixture and toss. Let pickle at room temperature for 30 minutes to 2 hours, checking the flavour and softening from 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate by the end of that period.

   Pickle the red onions · 30 minUses All the sliced onion, bay leaves and pickling mixture · The whole lightly charred pepper

4. 4

   Step 4: Serve the pickled onions as a condiment, leaving the bay leaves out of each serving. Keep the remaining mixture covered and refrigerated. The batch makes about 2 cups.

   Uses A selected portion of pickled onions and their juice · The unused onion and pepper mixture kept refrigerated