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Recipes

Pickled baby cucumber (our go-to burger pickle)

cucumber

Pickled cucumber is one of those little extras that makes everything better. Salads, burgers, sandwiches – you name it. (But let’s be honest: it’s mainly for burgers.)

This version uses a quick salt first. It feels like a lot of salt, but it’s doing a job: pulling out the watery, slightly bitter liquid so the cucumber stays crunchy and the pickle tastes cleaner at the end.

Makes

About 1 large jar (roughly 1 litre)

Prep time

15 minutes (and 1 hour salting)

Pickling time

Overnight (best the next day)

Ingredients

For the cucumbers

Pickling liquid

Method

  1. Salt the cucumbers (for better crunch)

    Put the cucumber wedges (and shallots, if using) in a bowl.
    Add 80g salt and toss well.
    Leave for 1 hour to draw out excess water.

  2. Rinse and squeeze

    Tip the cucumbers into a colander and rinse thoroughly to remove the salt.
    Squeeze out as much water as you can, then give them a good shake to get rid of excess moisture.

  3. Make the pickling liquid

    Add the white wine vinegar, water, soft brown sugar, turmeric, cinnamon stick, and star anise to a pan.
    Bring up to a simmer and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
    Take it off the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes so it’s not red hot.

  4. Jar it up

    Pack the cucumbers into a clean jar.
    Pour over the warm pickling liquid (including the spices) so the cucumbers are fully covered.
    Seal and refrigerate overnight.

How to use it

Storage

Keep chilled and fully submerged in the pickling liquid for up to 4 weeks in the fridge.

Easy swaps (same method, different veg)

This same brine works for diced carrots, onions/shallots, chillies, celery and more. Just cut small the veggies small so they pickle quickly.

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