A variety of tinned fish and other preserved seafood are complemented by salty, vinegary condiments and snacks, pickles being one. The acidity and saltiness cut through the richness of the conservas typically found in an aperitivo table setting. Making your own pickles can be fun and easy. And you can adjust the recipe to your liking. So, let's make some pickles!
Getting Everything Ready
For the equipment:
- A 2-cup graduated glass measuring cup
- A 1 to 1-1/2 quart sauce pan
- Measuring spoon set
- A 32 oz. tall plastic deli container with lid
For the pickles:
- 1 16 oz. bag of mini cucumbers
- 3/4 cup distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)
- 2 level Tbl. coarse kosher salt
- 1 level Tbl. pickling spices
- 2 level tsp. granulated table sugar
- 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed (optional)
- 1/2 tsp. granulated garlic (optional)
Instructions
Prepare the cucumbers by:
- Washing and drying
- Trimming off blossom ends and any stems
- Cutting into spears (quartering larger cucumbers lengthwise; halving smaller ones)
Pack spears vertically into deli container. Typically, the contents of a 16 oz. bag of mini cucumbers (find at Walmart, Aldi, etc.) so-prepared will fit snuggly into the specified container.
Prepare the pickling brine:
Fill measuring cup to the 3/4 cup (6 oz.) line with vinegar. Fill rest of cup to the 2 cup line with cool tap water. If this doesn't seem like enough vinegar, trust me, it is. Pour into sauce pan. Add the carefully measured salt, pickling spices, sugar, dill and garlic powder. Stir to combine. Bring to a rolling boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and allow to settle a minute.
Carefully pour the hot pickle brine over the cucumber spears, scraping any pickling spices left in the pan into the container. Normally, this amount of liquid will be enough to fill the container to the very top, submerging the spears completely. If a quarter inch or so of the cucumbers sticks out above the brine, it won't really matter.
Place the lid on the container and allow to cool somewhat before refrigerating. I usually wait an hour. If you want to add a little water just to completely submerge the pickles at this point, that's OK.
Refrigerate and Wait
Allow 24 hours to chill and for the brine to work its magic. The pickles will be flavorful, with crisp, crunchy skins. Store refrigerated up to two weeks. That is, if you don't eat them all before then.
Hold On A Minute...
Shouldn't I use pickling salt for pickles?
You could, but it's not necessary. Pickling salt is just very fine grain sodium chloride (aka salt) and contains no additives. It is made to dissolve easily and thoroughly, creating a clear brine. Most people have coarse kosher salt on hand, which will dissolve just fine in the boiling brine.
If you do use pickling salt, however, be aware that it is heavier by volume than coarse kosher, and, if not reduced to compensate, will make the brine in this recipe too salty. The same caveat applies to non-coarse kosher salt.
Can I just use regular table salt instead?
Table salt contains iodine and anti-caking agents, which kosher salt does not. The first, in the quantity called for here, will give an "off" taste. The second will make the brine cloudy. You want a (mostly) clear brine, so that if it does turn cloudy later, you'll know to suspect contamination or spoilage.
I don't have one of those deli containers. Can I just use a Mason jar?
You could, but be aware that the shock of pouring boiling hot liquid into it could cause it to crack and break. If you have a covered, heat resistant storage dish, like Pyrex, using that, even with the pickles laying flat, would be a better choice.