Pickled Cabbage Recipe: How to Pickle Spicy Cabbage
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: May 12, 2022 • 2 min read
Whether you make a quick pickled cabbage recipe or a canned pickled cabbage recipe, this food is a tangy, salty, and crunchy side dish that complements other vegetables and proteins well. Read on to learn how to make pickled cabbage.
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What Is Cabbage?
Cabbage is a leafy plant with a fibrous core and crunchy texture; it’s closely related to broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts. Red cabbage (or purple cabbage), white cabbage (or green cabbage), and savoy cabbage are the three main types of cabbage. Napa cabbage, sometimes known as Chinese cabbage, is a different species.
Cabbage is a versatile vegetable and appears in many recipes for appetizers, side dishes, and main dishes, including coleslaw, cabbage rolls, sauerkraut, and various soups. Raw cabbage is naturally vegan and a source of calcium, potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin K.
What Is Pickling?
Pickling is a food preservation method in which ingredients rest in a pickling liquid of salt, vinegar, and spices. While it’s easy to confuse pickling with fermentation, the processes are different. Fermentation relies solely on natural bacteria to produce a sour flavor and extend a food’s shelf life, whereas pickling uses a brine to impart a sour flavor and results in a longer shelf life.
The process for a quick pickle involves submerging chopped or sliced vegetables in a concentrated liquid. Quick pickled foods, such as refrigerator pickles and quick-pickled cabbage, have a short shelf life—about a couple of months—and you must store them in the refrigerator. Canned pickles, on the other hand, have a longer shelf life; they will be shelf-stable at room temperature in a cool dark place for up to a couple of years.
Pickled Cabbage Recipe
makes
4–6 pint jarsprep time
15 mintotal time
25 mincook time
10 minIngredients
- 1
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the water, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, bay leaves, peppercorns, and mustard seeds to make the brine.
- 2
Smash the garlic cloves.
- 3
Add the smashed garlic to the brine.
- 4
Bring the brine to a boil and let it cook for 10 minutes.
- 5
With a sharp knife, cut the head of cabbage into quarters.
- 6
Remove the cabbage core.
- 7
With the same sharp knife, shred the cabbage.
- 8
Cut the jalapeño in half and remove the seeds.
- 9
Slice the jalapeño.
- 10
Fill each clean and dry glass jar with shredded cabbage and a few slices of jalapeño, leaving enough room for the pickling liquid.
- 11
Carefully ladle the pickling brine over the cabbage and jalapeños, leaving about an inch of space from the top of the jar.
- 12
Secure the lids on the jars.
- 13
Store the jars in the refrigerator for about 2–4 months. Serve the pickled cabbage as a condiment on tacos, hot dogs, or other dishes.
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