5 WINTER RECIPE IDEAS FOR YOUR PICKLED VEGETABLES
Making pickled vegetables is one of the best ways to preserve your fall harvest, but when it comes time to enjoy them, you might be short on ideas for how to serve them!
Pickles have such a satisfying crunch and a super-strong, salty tang, so you’ll want to find recipes that work well with those flavors without getting overpowered by the pickle-ness. We put together five delicious recipe ideas that will help you put those pickled vegetables to good use this winter!
Try These Winter Recipe Ideas For Using Up Your Pickled Vegetables
Pickled vegetables straight from the jar are pretty amazing as is, but these pickled vegetable recipe ideas are downright irresistible. Try them this winter when you’re in need of some tasty comfort food for a chilly night in!
Dill Pickle Cream Cheese
This recipe couldn’t be simpler, yet it’s so flavorful and versatile. All you have to do is chop up your cucumber pickles into chunks and fold them into some whipped cream cheese. You can add some extra dill for flavor if needed.
Spread it on a toasted bagel for a quick breakfast that will perk you right up with that tangy, zesty goodness, or eat it with plain, freshly sliced cucumbers for a healthy keto snack!
Break Out the Pickled Red Onions on Taco Night
Raw onions are the usual go-to for tacos, but adding too many can create an overpowering flavor and aroma. With pickled red onions, you never have that problem! They have a sweet, tart flavor, and the harshness completely mellows after pickling so that you can pile them on high!
For your next taco night, put all the necessary fixings in separate bowls, and be sure to fill one bowl with plenty of pickled onions—or other vegetables, too, if you’re feeling adventurous!
Pickle-Brined Fried Chicken Sandwiches
Fried chicken sandwiches topped with sliced pickles are a classic Southern comfort dish, but you can add even more of that fantastic pickle flavor by using the pickle juice to brine your chicken before frying and breading!
Marinate four boneless, skinless chicken thighs in pickle juice for two hours in the fridge, coat them with batter and fry them up according to your favorite fried chicken recipe!
Prepare some traditional coleslaw in a separate bowl, but throw in some tiny pickle chunks and a splash of pickle juice into the mix. Top your sandwiches with this tasty, garlicky slaw for extra flavor and crunch.
Pickled Vegetable Caesar Cocktail
This Canadian version of the classic Bloody Mary uses Clamato juice instead of tomato juice—it sounds a little strange, but trust us! It’s a wildly popular, savory cocktail up North that practically functions as an appetizer. The garnishes can end up looking like a whole charcuterie board on a stick, so it’s ideal for using up a variety of different pickled garden vegetables! Here’s what you’ll need to make one caesar:
1oz vodka
1 cup of Clamato juice
A small splash of pickle juice
1–2 dashes of tabasco (depending on your spice preference)
1 dash of Worcestershire sauce
Celery salt (for salting your glass rim)
1 wedge of lime
Assorted pickled vegetables for garnish
1 mini pepperoni stick (optional)
Ice
Use the wedge of lime to wet the rim of your glass, then salt the rim with celery salt. Add ice, vodka, tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, Clamato, and pickle juice, then stir to mix. Pack as many pickled vegetables as you can onto a toothpick or cocktail skewer (plus a mini pepperoni stick, if you wish), and balance it on the rim of your glass as garnish!
Pickled Beet and Arugula Salad
Pickled beets are an underrated vegetable that deserves more love! They have tons of flavor and antioxidants, and their sweetness pairs well with spicy, crunchy arugula. To make the perfect beet and arugula salad, all you need is five ingredients:
Pickled beets
Arugula
Goat cheese
Candied walnuts or pecans
Honey lemon vinaigrette
Simply top a bed of arugula with your sliced beets, cheese, and nuts, then drizzle the honey lemon vinaigrette on top. You can add a bit of cracked pepper if you like, but it isn’t necessary since arugula has a naturally peppery kick.
If you didn’t get a chance to make your own pickled vegetables this year, start planning your spring garden and visit Dammann’s Garden Co.! We have many different vegetables you can start from seed, perfect for pickling in the fall to enjoy all winter long.