From the Garden: Quick Pickled Jalapeño Recipe

Zesty, spicy, and full of flavor. This quick pickled jalapeño recipe is easy and delicious! The hardest part is waiting a day before tasting!!

Our garden was overflowing with jalapeños this year, more than we could eat or give away. Check out our garden plan for some tips and ideas. To preserve and create another flavor, we pickled the jalapeños. These quick pickled jalapeños, unlike the canned version, must be stored in the refrigerator before and after opening.

Use pickled jalapeños (and even the pickling brine) to spice up pizza, nachos, eggs, burgers, salads, and sandwiches, or as an addition to a charcuterie plate. Try a quick pickled jalapeño aioli! Add finely chopped pickled jalapeños and some pickling brine to mayonnaise or greek yogurt and zest up a sandwich or burger.

@creativelyhome

With our last garden harvest of the season, we made pickled jalapeños. This time around, we preserved a bunch with a water bath canner. Pickled jalapeños are a delicious garnish and condiment!! Search jalapeño at creativelyhome.com for quick pickled jalapeño recipe. #jalapenos #pickledjalapenos #gardenrecipes #veggierecipes #fallgarden

♬ Spice Up Your Life – Spice Girls

We also had a bunch of zucchini, which we made into tasty, healthy rhubarb zucchini bread and grilled stuffed zucchini boats.

Tips for Working With Jalapeños

Capsaicin is the chemical that gives jalapeños their heat and is most prevalent in the ribs and seeds. Capsaicin can remain on your hands long after touching the inside of the jalapeño. This can irritate eyes and be spicy on the tongue. To reduce exposure to capsaicin, rub hands with olive oil before working with jalapeños or wear gloves. Avoid touching your face or eyes when working with jalapeños and wash hands frequently with soap. Wash any kitchen equipment that came into contact with jalapeños with hot, soapy water to avoid transferring the heat to other foods.

If you’re looking for another way to use jalapeños, try this fire-roasted green tomato salsa.

Pickled Jalapeno Recipe Components

Jalapeños: Use fresh jalapeños for a crisper pickled jalapeño. For jalapeño gardeners, leave some jalapeños on the vine until they turn red. The flavor doesn’t change much, but the red color is gorgeous in a jar of canned pickled jalapeños. Remove jalapeño seeds to reduce heat, if desired. Jalapeños lose a little spiciness through pickling process.

Garlic: Garlic preparation comes down to preference. Smash whole cloves to impart garlic flavor. Chop garlic if you enjoy eating pickled garlic along with the jalapeño rings.

Carrot: While carrot adds subtle sweetness and tastes delicious, it’s true purpose is to give some vibrant color contrast to the green jalapeños.

Brine: Water, white distilled vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and pickling salt combine for the pickling brine which gives the jalapeños the pickled flavor and texture.

Salt: We prefer pickling salt, which is pure, fine granulated salt. Kosher and sea salt can be used, as long as they don’t contain additives. Kosher and sea salts may have different weights per volume and may take longer to dissolve. Table salt can also be used, but is not recommended because it contains (1) iodine which can make pickles dark and (2) anti-caking additives which can cloud the pickling liquid.

Quick Pickled Jalapeño Recipe Ingredients

Makes 1 pint of quick pickled jalapeños. Double, triple or quadruple the recipe to make gifts for jalapeño lovers.

Quick Pickled Jalapeño Recipe

Thoroughly wash 1 pint jar, ring, and lid.

Prepare the Vegetables for Quick Pickled Jalapeno Recipe

Wash jalapeños and discard any with signs of deterioration (especially if garden grown). Remove stem and slice jalapeños into rings about 1/4″ thick using a mandolin (be careful) or knife. Option to remove seeds to reduce “heat.” Place rings into a bowl.

Peel carrots and cut into 1/4″ rounds. For carrots larger than 1/2″ in diameter, cut into quarters before slicing into rounds. Add carrot rounds to bowl with jalapeños and mix.

Either smash or slice the garlic clove depending on preference. Add garlic to jar.

Prepare the Brine and Soak Vegetables

Combine water, vinegars, sugar, and salt in saucepan. Bring brine to boil.

Add jalapeños and carrots to brine and bring back to a boil. Then remove from heat and let jalapeños and carrots sit in brine for 10 minutes. This allows the jalapeños and carrots to better absorb the flavor from the brine.

Fill Jars with Quick Pickled Jalapeños

Once jalapeño/carrot/brine mixture cools, strain jalapeños and carrots from brine. Make sure to keep the brine. Firmly pack jalapeños and carrots into each jar with the garlic, leaving the top 1″ empty. A canning funnel is helpful for adding vegetables to the jar, but not necessary.

Add brine to each jar to cover jalapeños, again leaving top 1″ empty. Wipe jar rim and add lid, then screw jar ring tightly. Let quick pickled jalapeños cool to room temperature before storing in the refrigerator.

Give Quick Pickled Jalapeños Time

Store in refrigerator before and after opening. Wait at least 1 day before opening; flavor will continue to develop the longer the jalapeños pickle. Opened jars are good for up to 1 month refrigerated, but watch for signs of spoilage.

Let us know what foods you spice up with this quick pickled jalapeño recipe.

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