Enhance jalapeño peppers’ bright and grassy flavors by pickling them together with star anise, mustard seeds, and garlic. This sweet pickled jalapeños recipe will add sparkle to any dish you serve them with.
One of the most well-known varieties of the capsicum annum species, jalapeños (pronounced ha-la-PEEN-yos), have contributed their spice to cuisines since well before the time of the Aztecs. While the heat level can vary between different varieties, and when they get harvested, jalapeños are at the milder end of the chilli heat spectrum. In terms of Schoville Heat Units (SHU), they register between 4,000-8,500. In comparison, serrano peppers register between 10,000-23,000 SHU, while habanero peppers register between 100,000-350,000 SHU. Read this article for a scientific perspective on what chilli heat is all about.
While you can find pickled jalapeños in many supermarkets, there is no substitute for making them yourself. Most importantly, you get to customize the brine and add the aromatics of your choice. Control over the amount of sweetness you add to the brine is significant. The sweetness balances the heat. While I prefer things on the spicy side, my family likes a much milder spice level. This sweet pickled jalapeños recipe results in a balance that will be appreciated by most diners while adding aromatics that bring additional layers of flavor to that sweet spice. Delectable.
How can I use pickled jalapeños?
These sweet pickled jalapeños will, of course, be perfectly at home atop tacos or nachos. But going beyond their Mexican roots is where they shine. Add to a green salad, a bowl of pork udon noodles, this Seafood Soba, or this Duck Phở. Wherever it would be appropriate to add a little sparkle, these pickled jalapeños will do the job.
Perhaps as important as how is why. Eating jalapeños and other capsaicin-rich foods have health benefits. Rich in vitamins A and C and potassium, they also contain carotene, an antioxidant that helps prevent cell damage. So as you feel the tingle of those delectable jalapeños, think of all the good they are doing you.
Why add kombu?
Kombu, the key ingredient in dashi, is packed with flavor-enhancing glutamates. These flavor-enhancing compounds work their magic on the jalapeños and aromatics, resulting in an even more delicious jar of sweet pickled jalapeños.
Pickled Jalapeños
Ingredients
- 15 jalapeño peppers
- 2 cloves garlic
- 200 ml water
- 200 ml rice vinegar
- 50 g raw sugar
- 10 g Tbsp salt
- 1 piece kombu optional
- 1 Tbsp black peppercorns
- 1 Tbsp mustard seeds
- 2 star anise
Instructions
- Dice the jalapeños into 3mm “coins”. Remove the white pith and seeds if there is a lot of it inside the “coin”.
- Smash and peel the cloves of garlic.
- To a saucepan, add the water, vinegar, sugar, salt, 1 clove of garlic, and the piece of kombu (if using).
- Put over a low heat and stir occasionally until the sugar and salt have dissolved.
- Remove from the heat.
- In a suitable jar put the mustard seeds, black peppercorns, star anise, and the other crushed clove of garlic.
- Add the diced jalapeños to the jar.
- Pour over enough pickling liquid to cover the diced jalapeños.
- Allow to cool, then place in the refrigerator until needed (least 60 minutes, but will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks).
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