Pickles & Brines
House Pickle Brine
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Prep
10 min
Cook
5 min
Total
15 min
Serves
Makes about 100 ml brine (enough for 2 cucumbers; scale up as needed)
The standard quick pickle that goes on everything. White vinegar, a little sugar, coriander seed, garlic, and bay. The brine boils and pours hot over whatever you are pickling: cucumbers, onion, radish, carrots. Crisp and tangy in under an hour.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (60 ml) white vinegar
- 1 heaped tsp sugar
- ½ tsp coriander seed
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ garlic clove, cracked
- ½ tsp fresh cilantro
- ½ bay leaf
- 2 cucumbers, sliced into thin rounds (or vegetable of choice)
Instructions
- 1Combine the vinegar, sugar, coriander seed, salt, garlic, cilantro, and bay leaf in a small saucepan.
- 2Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve.
- 3Pour the hot brine directly over sliced vegetables in a heatproof container.
- 4Let cool to room temperature, then seal and refrigerate.
- 5Ready once cooled; better after a few hours.
Cook's Note
Always pour brine hot — it is what makes these ready in under an hour. Cold brine needs overnight.
How to Use This
Taco topping, garnish for braised meats, side condiment for anything rich. Use whatever vegetable makes sense: cucumbers, radish, red onion, jalapeño, carrots. Drain lightly before using.
Why This Foundation Works
Pouring the brine hot over raw vegetables lightly softens the surface, which lets the acid absorb faster. The coriander and bay give it a warm background note: the difference between a house pickle and straight vinegar.
Make It Yours
- Vegetables that work: cucumbers, radish, red onion, jalapeños, carrots, cauliflower florets, or thinly sliced beets. Slice thin for faster pickup.
- Sweeter: add an extra teaspoon of sugar and replace half the white vinegar with apple cider vinegar. Works well for cucumber rounds.
- Spicier: add a dried chile de arbol or a split fresh jalapeño to the saucepan before boiling.
- Earthier: swap the coriander seed for cumin seeds, or add a few whole black peppercorns alongside.
- More fragrant: add a strip of orange peel to the brine before boiling. Pull it out before pouring.
- Pickled beets: use candy stripe or red beets, cooked and diced. Replace white vinegar with apple cider vinegar and increase sugar slightly. The brine turns deep pink and the beets get better over 24 hours.
- Pickled eggs: add ¼ tsp turmeric and ¼ tsp mustard seeds to the brine. The whites turn golden all the way through. Let sit at room temperature for 24 hours before refrigerating.
Leftover Strategy
Keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days. Gets softer and more pickled with each day.
Keep Cooking
