Easy Spanish Pickled Red Onions Recipe

Not all Spanish recipes require you to spend hours in the kitchen or eat everything immediately without being able to save it. There are some hidden gems that are the complete opposite.

Spanish pickled red onions are one of them, combining ingredients that aren’t always the stars of conventional dishes and making them shine.

Continue reading to learn what pickled red onions are, along with the best tips for serving, storing, and customizing this recipe to your liking.

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Pssst…!!?? You can’t get enough of Spanish recipes? Have a look at my other posts: 

• Spanish pickled vegetables

• Spanish pickles recipe

• Spanish pickled garlic

Background of the Dish

The Spanish pickled red onions were created in the 16th century, a period when Spain was expanding its global trade routes, bringing new spices and preservation techniques from the Americas and beyond.

Sailors first used them since the pickling process allowed them to be stored for longer, and onions were cheap and abundant.

They quickly became a hit in southern Spain because they were inexpensive to make and easy to add to existing recipes, such as typical tapas or classic sandwiches and salads.

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Things You’ll Need for Spanish Pickled Red Onions

To prepare Spanish pickled red onions you will need: red onions, water, white wine vinegar, sugar, salt, bay leaves, black peppercorns, and your favorite herbs.

Ingredients

• 2 large red onions
• 1 cup (240ml) white wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• ½ cup (120ml) water
• 1 tablespoon sugar 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 5-6 whole black peppercorns
• 1 garlic clove (optional)
• A few sprigs of fresh thyme or oregano (optional)

How to Make Spanish Pickled Red Onions – Step by Step Guide

1. For the first step in this Spanish pickled onions recipe, peel and thinly slice the red onions. For them to have the classic Spanish shape,  preferably chop them into thin half-moons. If using, thinly slice the garlic clove as well.

2. After that, boil water and pour it over the sliced onions. Let them sit for about 1 minute, then drain. This softens the onion’s sharp bite while keeping a good crunch.

3. Now, grab a saucepan and combine the vinegar, 1/2 cup of water, sugar, salt, bay leaf, peppercorns, and garlic. Bring the mix to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve.

4. To continue with this recipe, place the easy pickled red onions in a clean glass jar and pour the hot brine over them. Add the thyme or oregano if using. Press the onions down so they’re fully submerged.

5. For the final step, let the jar cool to room temperature, then seal and refrigerate. You can enjoy the Spanish pickled red onions in about an hour, but they taste even better after a day.

Substitution of Ingredients

The homemade pickled onions recipe only calls for a few main ingredients that can be found at any store all year round, yet there are some changes that you can make to them.

First, instead of white wine vinegar, you can prepare the quick pickled red onions with apple cider vinegar, sherry vinegar, or red wine vinegar.

If you find that your Spanish pickled red onions are too bitter, then you can add a tablespoon of white granulated sugar or honey to the brine and do a taste test a couple of hours after to check the new finished result.

For spiced pickled onions, include red pepper flakes, herbs like oregano and rosemary, or even a small dried chili for heat.

Lastly, if you consider that the healthy pickled red onions need to be a little bit more salty, you can use sea salt, pink Himalayan salt, or kosher salt.

Tips on Serving Spanish Pickled Red Onions

The Spanish pickled red onions are usually served as tangy toppings for Andalusian tapas, though nowadays you can find them in more recipes.

For example, you can prepare a sandwich with pickled red onions, and it would go really well with ciabatta bread, mustard, and mayonnaise as the sauces and your favorite mix of meat and cheese.

For a healthier alternative, you can prepare a salad with pickled red onions, and the best one is the traditional mixed green salad, as the flavor of the onion gets to stand out.

You can also use the pickled red onions for carnitas, and we recommend adding chopped fresh herbs like dill or parsley to balance the flavors.

If you are hosting a party or you have some friends coming over, you can combine the red pickled onions with other classic regional recipes, such as the traditional Spanish salad, the ensalada de zanahoria, and the Spanish ceviche recipe.

How to Store Spanish Pickled Red Onions

For all of the meal-prep enthusiasts out there, we can assure you that the Spanish pickled red onions will soon become one of your favorites.

Once you finish preparing the homemade pickled onions, you have to place them in a jar where they can last up to one month if kept closed.

After you open the jar with the pickled Spanish onions for the first time, you will have 2 weeks to enjoy them, and over time the flavor will get stronger.

We have more Andalusian recipes that you can make and store for a while, such as the pickled mackerel recipe, the marinated carrots recipe, and the boquerones en vinagre.

Recipe Card: Spanish Pickled Red Onions

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