Quick Asian Pickles for #FarmersMarketWeek

Robby dubbed these “quickles.” Send help (and forgive the classic refrigerator lighting).

The nice thing about testing quickles (pickles–argh) is that this can be done in a matter of hours. I made the first two jars on the left at the same time, tasted them a few hours later, put together the third jar, and did the fourth after that. Four iterations of a recipe tested within 5 hours. And a ton of pickles to eat.

I’ve noticed that on food shows like Chopped, a “quick pickle” always, always pulls high praise from the judges. There’s something about the bright acidic pop that pickled vegetables bring, and the cleverness of having done something cool in 30 minutes or less.

My winner from the above lineup is an Asian-inspired recipe! It uses rice wine vinegar, salt, sugar, and cucumbers, AND it produces pickles in almost no time.

Quick Asian Pickles: Notes

You can eat these after as little as one hour. They will be very lightly pickled; good for a garnish or less intense nibbles. But if you want them to reach full pickle potential, they’re best overnight. At that point, they are very strong. I think they would be brilliant garnishes on bahn mi.

It may look like there is not enough liquid in the jar. Don’t panic! The salt and sugar will draw more liquid out of the cucumbers, creating enough brine to cover them. Put the jar at eye level and give it a shake whenever you open the fridge, to encourage them to brine evenly.

Variations

• Too strong? Add 1 cup water.
• Only have rice vinegar? That’s fine; they’ll just be slightly less intense.
• Like sweet, like an Asian bread-and-butter pickle? Increase sugar to 1/4 cup.
• Prefer classic dill pickles? Use white vinegar, 1/2 – 1 cup water, and a couple sprigs of fresh dill.
• This brine would also work great on thinly sliced carrots or radishes. All three together would make a bangin’ side salad.

Enjoy with…

Beer! Specifically, gose-style beer. Gose (GOES-uh) is a beer that originated in Germany. It’s crisp, low-alcohol, and a little salty. (The internet has strong opinions about gose: Google turned up, in order, a Thrillist article declaring “Gose Ruined Craft Beer” and a HuffPo article “Why Gose is the Only Beer You Should Be Drinking This Summer.”) It’s a very summer-y beer that plays well with the bright saltiness of the pickles. Try Six Point Jammer Gose or Dogfish Head Sea Quench (bonus: the latter has electrolytes!).

BONUS SUGGESTION: For something completely different, try MIA Big In Japan. This is a high-alcohol beer made with sake yeast. It’s light, malty, and has a little bit of creaminess from the yeast and a sake aftertaste.

Adapted from Serious Eats, with gratitude to Smitten Kitchen.

Quickles for #FarmersMarketWeek

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Quick Asian Pickles! A recipe that makes great snacks or toppings, and is ready in as little as one hour!

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 2 minutes
• Yield: 4 cups pickles 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• 4 cups thinly sliced Kirby, Japanese or English cucumbers (about 5 Kirby, 3 Japanese, or 1 English)
• Optional: 1 cup water

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a well-sealed container. Shake and refrigerate.
2. Whenever you open the fridge, give them another shake to help distribute the seasonings.
3. These can be eaten as soon as 1 hour later, but are best if left overnight.

Notes

As noted, these pickles are STRONG! If you like them less pungent, add 1 cup water to the initial recipe.

It’s #FarmersMarketWeek! Look below for more awesome recipes that feature summer-fresh ingredients from local farmer’s markets.

Monday

Aunt Mary’s Refrigerator Bread & Butter Pickles by Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids
BBQ Corn on the Cob with dilled butter by Red Cottage Chronicles
Beef Tacos with Peppers, Onions & Salsa Verde by Books n’ Cooks
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Blueberry Crisp for Two by Family Around The Table
Blueberry Scones by The Freshman Cook
Cherry Stout Jam by The Redhead Baker
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Freshly Dug Potato Salad by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Israeli Salad by Caroline’s Cooking
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Peach and Blueberry Overnight Oats by Simple and Savory
Peach Bourbon Jam by Feeding Big
Peaches and Cream Overnight Oats by Cooking with Carlee
Strawberry Mango Jam by Palatable Pastime
Summer Veggies & Kielbasa Sheet Pan Dinner by Tip Garden

Tuesday

Bing Cherry and Peach Galette by The Freshman Cook
Bruschetta with Marinated Tomatoes and Ricotta by The Redhead Baker
Cabbage Slaw with Seasonal Herbs by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Fresh Strawberry Lemonade by Family Around The Table
Kiwi Guacamole by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Summer Pasta Primavera by Palatable Pastime
Brown Sugar Zapple Crisp by Cooking with Carlee
Zucchini Raisin Cookies by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
How to Freeze Corn on the Cob by The Frugal Pantry

Wednesday

Chicken and Summer Veggie Tostadas by The Redhead Baker
Peach-Almond Mousse by Red Cottage Chronicles
Easy Creamed Corn by Feeding Big
Easy Zucchini Refrigerator Pickles by Simple and Savory
Fresh Applesauce by Palatable Pastime
Fresh Raspberry Streusel Muffins by Family Around The Table
Italian Sausage and Summer Vegetable Sheet Pan Dinner by Cooking with Carlee
Lemon Curd by The Freshman Cook
Mom’s Zucchini Bread by Books n’ Cooks
Peaches & Cream Protein Smoothie by Tip Garden
Roasted Brussels Sprouts Carbonara by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Roasted Eggplant with Tahini by Caroline’s Cooking
Spicy Summer Squash Refrigerator Pickles by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Thursday

Easy Freezer Sweet Corn by Corn, Beans, Pigs & Kids
Farmers Market Freezer Fruit Cocktail Mix by Frugal Pantry
Grilled Eggplant Parm Stacks by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
Pecan Honey Butter by Family Around The Table
Pasta with Saffron Pepper Sauce by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Santa Fe Pork with Peach Salsa by Palatable Pastime
Summer Vegetable and Chicken Stir Fry by Cooking with Carlee

Friday

Avocot Salad with Raspberries by Palatable Pastime
Easy Summer Berry Mousse by Red Cottage Chronicles
Fresh Peach Milkshake by Family Around The Table
Grilled Basil Chicken & Tomatoes by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
K.C.’s Zucchini Bread by Cooking with Carlee
Raspberry Lemon Cupcakes by The Redhead Baker
Rustic Tomato and Ricotta Tart by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Sweet Potatoes? I’m still thinking by New South Charm
TBD by Feeding Big
Veggie Noodle Salad by Simple and Savory
Watermelon Cucumber Mojitos by Culinary Adventures with Camilla