I like to serve homemade preserved goods with a meal, but this late in winter, my pickle supply is running rather low. Last week we had a few friends over for a decidedly non-winter meal. Puerto Rican pork shoulder, chili-roasted squash and avocado salad were all on the menu. There’s not a lot of fresh, local produce available, but locally grown storage onions are still in good supply. A quick pickled onion would do the trick.
To complement the flavor profile of the meal, I took my cue from a quick Mexican pickle called “escabeche.” The most common variety of escabeche you’ll find is with jalapeños, often mixed with onions and carrots, or in the form of as sweet and sour fish entree with tomatoes, which is wonderful. My red onion pickle uses the same ingredients as the jalapeño version, but with only onions. The result is a bright, tangy, sharp pickle with crunch. For dinner I scattered the onion rings over the avocado salad, spooning some of the pickling liquid over top. The pickled onions contrasted beautifully with the richness of the avocados.
