Spice things up with these Red Onions with Habanero peppers!
Pickled onions are delicious and very common in Mexican cuisine. For this recipe, I use fresh red onions sliced into thin strips along with habanero peppers for heat. The onions and peppers are then soaked in a brine of orange juice, lime juice, vinegar, and warm spices like Mexican oregano, allspice, and black pepper.
After about an hour of steeping, the onions take on the flavors of the brine and develop a wonderful balance of sour and heat. The habanero truly makes its presence known, so be sure to adjust the amount to your spice tolerance. I recommend starting with one pepper and adding more if you want extra kick.
Aside from being a great topping for tacos, these pickled onions can jazz up everything from grilled meats to sandwiches. Try them in place of raw onion for a flavor boost. Their bright acidity cuts through rich and fatty foods, while the habanero heat keeps things exciting.
For best results, store the pickled onions in the fridge to preserve that crunchy texture. They’ll keep for up to two weeks, though I doubt they’ll last that long. These onions are addictively good!
The tangy, spicy onions pair perfectly with richer dishes like Cochinita Pibil, providing a bright contrast to the slow-cooked pork.
So if you’re looking for an easy way to spice up meals, whip up a batch of these pickled habanero red onions. These onion’s punchy flavors will surely wake up your tastebuds!
Red Onions with Habanero
10
servings10
minutes15
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
1 1 red onion julienne cut
1/2 cup 1/2 Freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup 1/4 Cider vinegar
3 3 Limes, feshly squeezed
2 2 Habanero chiles (more or less depending on how spicy you want it)
1 pinch 1 pinch Dry Mexican oregano
1 pinch 1 pinch Allspice
1 pinch 1 pinch Fresh black pepper
1 pinch 1 pinch Salt
Directions
- Cut the onions into juliennes.
- Remove the seeds and thinly slice the habanero peppers (I recommend that you wear gloves to perform this task and avoid touching your nose or eyes before you take the gloves off)
- Add the juice of 3 limes, orange juice, vinegar, Mexican oregano, and allspice salt and pepper to taste. Mix all the ingredients.
- If you feel that you need more liquid to cover the onions you can add some hot water and mix. Let the mix sit for at least 1 hour covered.
- Transfer to a glass jar and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- There are several variations you can prepare with the pickled onions one that has developed a bit of a cult following among my friends is adding 1 pineapple slice.
- Habanero peppers can be extremely spicy, you can adjust the heat level by adding less, or more according to taste. You can also substitute with other less spicy peppers such as Serrano or Jalapeño.
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