I'm on a pickled craze lately so I'm re-posting these Pickled Jalapenos and Carrots. Have you tried these yet?!
These beauties work wonders on tacos, tostadas, eggs, even sandwiches, and there's also a good chance you'll find yourself munching on the pickled carrots throughout the day.
The quick pickling technique is so simple and you can apply it to loads of other veggies. There are 9 recipes on the site that use this technique -- I'll list them all at the bottom of this post or you can always type "pickled" into this recipe search box.
Please give these a go if you're new to them, I think their little burst of acidity will brighten up any dish (or kitchen) 🙂
How To Make Pickled Jalapenos and Carrots
This recipe will make enough to fill a quart-sized Mason jar to the brim with pure zip -- you can also use two pint-sized jars if you want.
Note: these instructions are not designed for long term canning.
Please consider the following ingredient pic a reference point only. The veggies and vinegar are doing most of the heavy lifting, so if you don't have all the spices on hand go ahead and make them anyway; most likely you'll be happy with the results.
Start by giving the jalapenos a good rinse and peeling the carrots, cutting both into 1/4 inch sized coins.
It's always best to use caution when handling hot chili peppers, and that includes jalapenos! A final hand washing is usually enough for me, but some peeps with sensitive skin may prefer gloves. More info on working with hot chiles.
Saute a sliced onion and 4-6 roughly chopped garlic cloves in a glug of oil over medium heat.
As this the onion softens you'll have time to gather the dry ingredients.
So in the above pic you've got:
8-10 cracked black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 bay leaf (optional)
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano What is Mexican oregano?
I usually give the spices a quick crush in the molcajete and then briefly saute them before adding the jalapenos, but this is optional. And if like me you're frequently out of bay leaves then just skip it, as I've made this recipe without a bay leaf dozens of times and it still turns out awesome.
Add the jalapenos and carrots to the saucepan.
Along with the spices if you haven't added them yet.
Saute briefly and then add:
1.5 cups of white vinegar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon Kosher or sea salt
Note that Kosher or pure sea salt are most commonly used for pickling. The additives in iodized salt will sometimes affect the brine so it isn't recommended.
Let this simmer for a few minutes or until the jalapenos turn army green.
Once the jalapenos are changing color you can load up the jars. Glass jars work best for this vinegar-based brine so I always default to Mason jars.
Each jar gets loaded with the jalapeno-carrot mixture and filled to the brim with the brine.
You should have plenty of brine but if you run out you can always top them off with a splash of water.
I usually let the jars cool on the counter a bit before capping and storing in the fridge.
You can take a taste now and you'll get a good preview of their final flavor, but the jalapenos won't be fully pickled until they rest in the brine overnight.
And the next day you'll have some serious zippppp!
They're so good and they act as the perfect final garnish on your tacos, tostadas, sandwiches, etc.
These pickled jalapenos will keep in the fridge for a month or so, after which you can take the afternoon off of work to make a new batch. Priorities right?
And if you like these Pickled Jalapenos then you can use this quick pickling technique to make any of these:
Extra Hot Pickled Jalapenos with Habaneros
Buen Provecho!
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Taqueria Style Pickled Jalapenos and Carrots
Ingredients
- 8-10 jalapenos
- 2 carrots
- 1 small onion
- 4-6 cloves of garlic
- olive oil
- 1.5 cups white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon salt (Kosher or sea salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 8-10 black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
Instructions
- Give the jalapenos a rinse and then cut into 1/4 inch slices. Peel the carrots and cut into 1/4 inch slices.
- Peel and quarter the onion, chopping into thin slices. Peel and roughly chop the garlic.
- Heat a glug of oil in a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes.
- Add the spices: 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano, 8-10 black peppercorns. I usually give the spices a quick crush in the molcajete but this is optional. And feel free to use powdered spices if you don't have seeds or peppercorns on hand.
- Add the jalapenos and carrots. Briefly saute and then add 1.5 cups white vinegar, 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon kosher or sea salt, and 1 bay leaf (optional). Simmer until the jalapenos are just turning army green in color.
- Fill two pint-sized Mason jars with the veggies and fill to the brim with the vinegar mixture. You can also use a single quart-sized Mason jar. You can give them a taste test now for a preview, but they won't have full flavor until they rest overnight in the brine.
- I usually let the jars cool on the counter for a bit, then cap and store in the fridge where they will keep for weeks at a time.
Notes
You can easily modify the above recipe to make a tiny jar of Pickled Serranos:
And here's an easy way to make some Pickled Onions.
Or you can use a similar technique to make some Pickled Tomatillos.
Still hungry?!
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Bill
Patrick,
Thanks for sharing this. I can’t wait to try them. I’ve wanted a quick and easy way to get pickled jalapeños for a long time. You’re the best!
Patrick
Cheers Bill I hope they treat you well -- definitely one of my favorite recipes on the site!!
Joe
I was wondering if I can do this with garlic cloves?
Patrick
Hey Joe, I haven't tried pickling garlic cloves yet so I can't say for sure, but it's worth a go if you are craving them. I would prob just bring the seasoned vinegar mixture to a boil and pour it over the raw garlic cloves in the jar. Our Pickled Onions has measurements for a pint-sized Mason so that could be a good reference. And I'm now getting curious about this so thanks for the inspiration!
Joe Gonzalez
Thanks Patrick
VeganFeminist
Hi Patrick- I want to add Cauliflower to this recipe. How much would you suggest and when should I add them? I am also definitely taking Nathan's suggestion of 10 jalepeños and 8 habaneros to ramp up the heat!
Thanks!!
Patrick
Hi VF, although I've never tried it with cauliflower I think I would just add it at the same time as the jalapenos and carrots and go from there, using an amount similar to the carrots.
And 8 habaneros should definitely raise the heat level!
VeganFeminist
Thank you!!!
Suzi
Wonderful!!
Thank you for the recipe.
Patrick
Cheers Suzi.
Mike
I added a tablespoon of sugar to calm it down abit. Definitely a keeper. Great recipe, thanx.
2nd time i made it, i let it cool and poured over sliced cucumbers in a plastic container and set in fridge a couple days. It works for me.
Gustaf
Hi Patrick
What acidity degree is it typically on the white vinegar you use?
I’m trying to recreate this in Europe so just want to make sure I get the right acidity.
Thanks
Patrick
Hi Gustaf I'm pretty sure that it's 5 percent acidity. I typically use a plain old white vinegar when pickling and it seems like most of those max out around 5 percent in the States. Hope that helps a bit. Cheers.
Maggie Unzueta
Yum! I could eat that everyday all day.
Patrick
Me too!
Skyye
Patrick, this is an excellent recipe. I took a quart jar to work and everyone RAVED about these pickled jalas, etc. Kudos to you! This will be my standard recipe when it comes to harvesting my jalapeno plants next summer.
Patrick
Thanks for the feedback Skyye! That is definitely one way to spice up the workplace.
Martin
This recipe is very, very good!
I made one batch yesterday night and this will stay on my rotation!
thanks
Patrick
Thanks Martin, I'm a huge fan of these pickled jalapenos!
Feriba Grimes
I have made lots of Pickled Jalapenos in my life but this recipe is the best.I can throw all my others away ,this will be the only one I will be making from now on.
Thank you
Feriba
Patrick
Cheers Feriba! I make this recipe all the time and it never gets old.