Food

23 Ways We Cook With Pickles

A little sour is always a good idea

By SAVEUR Editors

August 30, 2016

D.I.Y. Pickles — Whether crunchy topper, tangy relish or simply on the side, no sandwich plate is complete without them. Get the recipe for D.I.Y. Pickles »Joseph De Leo

Pickled Shrimp with Satsuma — Bittersweet satsumas, a citrus fruit native to Louisiana, brighten these pickled shrimp, which is spiked with Korean chile flakes. Substitute tangerines or any orange-related citrus and crushed red chile flakes, if necessary. Get the recipe for Pickled Shrimp With Satsuma Orange »Christina Holmes

watermelon rind pickles — Even when summer gets away from us at the restaurant and we're not able to pickle and preserve the heck out of everything in our path, we somehow find a way to make these pickles: It feels good to make something translucent and crispy out of stuff that's potentially trash. That's one reason we go to the trouble. The other is that they're a pork chop's soul mate. Get the recipe for Watermelon Rind Pickles »Tim Robison

Cauliflower, Cabbage, and Carrot Achaar (Malaysian-Style Pickle) — This Malaysian-style mixed vegetable pickle is made with a rempah, or spice paste, stirred into the brine for an extra boost of flavor and texture. Get the recipe for Cauliflower, Cabbage, and Carrot Achaar (Malaysian-Style Pickle) »Khushbu Shah

Grilled Beef Kebabs with Pickles Persimmons — Minimally-spiced Romanian beef kebabs are grilled until lightly charred and served with intense, bright pickled persimmons in this take on Israeli street food. Get the recipe for Grilled Beef Kebabs with Pickles Persimmons »Matt Taylor-Gross

Sweet and Sour Mango Pickle — Green, unripe mangos are simmered with cardamom and clove to yield this tangy, spicy condiment. Get the recipe for Aamba Khatta (Sweet and Sour Mango Pickle) »James Roper

Piquant Pickled Pineapple — Garlic and Sriracha balance the sweetness of pineapple in this Southeast Asian-inspired pickle; a splash of fish sauce adds a robust savory edge. Get the recipe for Piquant Pickled Pineapple »Helen Rosner

Quick-Pickled Cauliflower — A quick pickle of cauliflower, peppers, and golden raisins is a simple, ideally acidic counterpoint to a rich main dish like flank steak. Get the recipe for Quick-Pickled Cauliflower »Laura Sant

Brazilian Pickled Chiles (Conserva de Pimenta) — These Brazilian pickled chiles are a classic condiment alongside rice and beans, roast pork, or fish. Get the recipe for Brazilian Pickled Chiles (Conserva de Pimenta) »James Oseland

Radish Greens — When cooking vegetables, every last scrap and stem can be useful, so don't toss the trimmings. Get the recipe for Pickled Radish Greens »Ingalls Photography

Pickled Ramps — Pickling is a great way to preserve ramps, the wild spring onions that overflow at the market for a few weeks each spring. Their garlicky flavor combined with a vinegar kick adds a bright punch to all sorts of dishes. Get the recipe for Pickled Ramps »Anna Stockwell

Pickled Cranberries — Pickling takes the natural sweet-tart nature of the cranberry and amplifies it. Get the recipe for Pickled Cranberries »Nicole Franzen

Vanilla Cake — We love this sweet pickled jam on everything from sandwiches to sundaes—as for the frosting, we love it straight out out of the bowl. Get the recipe for Pickled Strawberry Jam and Frosting »Matt Taylor-Gross

Carrot Horseradish Relish — Use this to add a spicy kick to scrambled eggs, a welcome bite to rich grilled cheese, or even—oy vey—as a spreadable component to a decidedly non-Jewish charcuterie platter. Get the recipe for Carrot and Horseradish Relish »Paul Sirisalee | Food Styling: Eugene Jho

Pickled Asian Pears — Developed by cookbook author Karen Solomon, this tangy, piquant Asian pear pickle tastes great on its own, on a chicken sandwich, in an arugula salad, or paired with blue cheese. If you can't find Asian pears, any kind of pear can be subbed in here; just look for specimens that are on the small side and rather firm. Get the recipe for Pickled Asian Pears with Lemon »Helen Rosner

Vegetables Pickled in Kelp Vinegar — Dashi, an enhanced kelp stock with rich umami flavor, is a staple component of Japanese cooking; it has the remarkable effect of accentuating the flavors of anything cooked in it. Here, it adds depth to a pickle brine from award-winning cookbook author Hiroko Shimbo. We use radishes, but any sturdy vegetables, such as peppers, cauliflower, or onions, will do. Get the recipe for Vegetables Pickled in Kelp Vinegar »Andre Baranowski

Spicy Cucumber Salad — This salad makes for perfect drinking food, best with sips of lightweight Asian lager or a gin and tonic. Lightly smashing cucumbers with a rolling pin helps them soak up a tangy, spicy marinade of vinegar, chile flakes, and mouth-numbing Sichuan peppercorns. Get the recipe for Spicy Cucumber Salad »Matt Taylor-Gross

Pickled Stone Fruit and Burrata Flatbread — A light vegetarian lunch, or even savory summer dessert, the sugary pickling brine in this recipe helps the peaches and plums caramelize on the grill. Get the recipe for Pickled Stone Fruit and Burrata Flatbread »Michael Turek

Trout Reuben — Chef Steven Brown uses pumpernickel rolls for this "punk rock sandwich with a $25 cleaning bill;" but you could use any roll you like. Get the recipe for Trout Reuben »Ariana Lindquist

Beef Kimbap — Korean kimbap is similar to Japanese sushi, but typically uses cooked or pickled ingredients. In this version, bulgogi (marinated beef) is paired with vegetables and egg. Get the recipe for Kimbap »Farideh Sadeghin

Kumru — This specialty of Çesme, a small beach town in Turkey, is one of the world's great grilled cheese sandwiches, in which the cheese itself is grilled before getting slipped into toasted bread with raw tomato and optional (but highly recommended) toppings of griddled sausage and pickled cucumbers and chiles. Get the recipe for Turkish Grilled Cheese »Matt Taylor-Gross

Houston, Chris Shepherd, Grilling, Flank Steak — In Korea, lettuce is often used as a crisp wrapper for bulgogi (marinated beef). In this recipe, sweeter pickled onions take the place of spicy kimchi. Get the recipe for Grilled Flank Steak with Coca-Cola-Pickled Onions »Drew Anthony Smith

Medianoche — With roast pork, ham, Swiss cheese, and pickles, it's almost identical to a Cuban sandwich, save for the bread, a sweet egg load that's similar to challah. Get the recipe for Cuban Medianoche Sandwich »Farideh Sadeghin

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