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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Jon
Hi Patrick--
I have always wondered what the carrots add to this?
Are the carrots intended for eating or just the peppers?
Great website, thanks!
-Jon, Boston MA
Patrick
Hey Jon! Yeah the carrots are the takers in the jar -- they soak up all the flavors from the other ingredients without contributing much of their own. But they are delicious and definitely designed to be eaten -- you could use them as a final condiment on tacos but I usually just do that with the jalapenos and munch on the carrots straight from the jar. Cheers.
Amy
Very authentic. I love these...……………...thank you !
Patrick
Thanks Amy, so glad you found this recipe! Cheers.
Kathy Stewart
looks awesome!! Can hardly wait to try it!
Patrick
Yah go for it Kathy 🙂
Bob D
This is a great recipe! My grandmother made jalapenos this. Pretty authentic! Thanks!
Patrick
Thanks Bob, so glad you found this recipe. Cheers 🙂
Colin Wright
Five minutes cooking time seems to be sufficient. Be very careful what you touch with your hands after handling the peppers!
Patrick
Hey thanks for mentioning this Colin as I've been meaning to test that lately. Cheers.
Kurt Dietrich
Will the carrots still be crunchy after cooking? Like the spicy crunch of the carrots I found during my last visit to Isla Mujeres.
Patrick
Hey Kurt! I've been meaning to experiment with a non-simmered version to see if there is a big difference, I hope to report back on that soon. In the meantime feel free to simmer the veggies for less time if you want some crunchville. Cheers.
ally
Hey just wondering if you can switch white vinegar for apple cider vinegar?
Patrick
Hey Ally sorry for the late reply! Yeah you can, and I've tried this in the past but I quickly went back to white vinegar. I could taste the cider in the final product and didn't like it, but I am picky 🙂
Candy G.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I made this yesterday and the taste is exactly as I remember when I was a kid visiting my grandmother in Tijuana. This recipe is a keeper!
Patrick
Ahh thank you Candy, so glad you found this recipe! Cheers.
Deborah
Absolutely love this recipe. Haven't altered ingredients-perfect just as is.
Patrick
Thanks Deborah, so glad you found this recipe!
Zonk 1/75
I've done this recipe probably 20 times!
For a tasty Cilantro Chimichurri combine this in a blender along with chopped cilantro and lemon juice. Great with Carne Asada or eggs....
~Z~
Patrick
Hey thanks for that tip Zonk, will try that soon!