Food

Ottolenghi’s Quick Pickled Chilies Recipe

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Dec 21, 2024 • 1 min read

While raw chilies can be quite spicy, pickling them takes some of the edge off and adds a bit of sweetness, saltiness, and a splash of vibrant color to a plate—all without the need to boil a single ingredient.

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How to Pickle Chilies

These chilies are truly a quick pickle and can be ready in as little as 30 minutes (though they’ll only improve with time).

  • Experiment with different kinds of vinegar, such as apple cider vinegar, distilled white vinegar, white wine vinegar, or red wine vinegar.
  • Prep the raw ingredients ahead of time, using your sharpest knife to slice chilies into thin rings or half-moons.
  • Try adding whole spices, such as black peppercorns, allspice, coriander seeds, or bay leaves alongside kosher salt in your pickling brine. For an extra spicy flavor, add garlic cloves, thinly sliced jalapeños or serranos, or red pepper flakes to the vinegar mixture.
  • Pickled chilies and other pickled peppers can be refrigerated for months, but they’ll have the best flavor if used within about a week.
  • Refrigerate pickled chili peppers in a jar or other glass container. (Metal can react with the vinegar, and plastic may absorb flavors.)

How to Use Pickled Chilies

Try these pickled peppers on dishes from grilled vegetables to roasted chicken, inside sandwiches, mixed into sauces, and topped on pizzas. They pair particularly well with Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe for Roasted Eggplant Salad With Quick Lemon Paste.

Ottolenghi’s Quick Lemon Paste (Preserved Lemons) Recipe

Ottolenghi’s Quick Pickled Chilies Recipe

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makes

about 1⁄4 cup

Ingredients

  1. 1

    Add the vinegar, sugar, and salt to a small bowl, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the chilies, stir well to combine, and leave to pickle for at least 30 minutes before using.

  2. 2

    If not using immediately, pour the chilies mixture into an airtight jar with sealed lid, and store in the refrigerator in an airtight jar.

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