Full disclosure: while I have been to Zuni Cafe in San Francisco, I’ve not yet ordered the burger that features this pickled zucchini recipe. But I love the restaurant and I love zucchini so it made sense to mooch off of this particular recipe for this week’s pickle post.
These are one of the best things I’ve pickled to date, probably because the recipe came from a very successful SF-based restaurant. Thank gosh it’s getting to be zucchini season because I will 100% be making these again. Final note: these are similar to the pickled fennel recipe in that they require a little more prep by doing a salt bath first but it’s totally worth it.
Pickled Zucchini Recipe
Makes 3 pints
Ingredients:
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp pickling salt
- 1 cup sugar*
- 1 1/2 tsp dry mustard**
- 1 1/2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 pound zucchini (about 2-3 medium-sized zucchinis)
*This calls for a lot of sugar, I might cut back next time.
**I didn’t have dry mustard on hand but will try this recipe again when I do.
Instructions:
- Wash and trim the zucchini. Slice thinly – I did both length-wise and cross-wise (as seen below).
- Slice onion thinly.
- Add zucchini and onions to a bowl, add salt and toss to distribute.
- Add a few ice cubes and cold water to cover; stir to dissolve the salt.
- Bring the vinegar, sugar, dry mustard, mustard seeds and turmeric to a simmer. Set aside to cool slightly. Helpful note from Food52: If the brine is too hot, it will cook the vegetables and make the pickles soft instead of crisp.
- Drain the zucchini and onion slices, pat dry and discard the salt water remains.
- Fill jars with the zucchini and onion slices.
- Pour slightly cooled brine over each filled jar.
- Recommended use: Refrigerate for at least a day before serving to allow the flavors to mellow and permeate the zucchini. Enjoy on their own, or on sandwiches and burgers.
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