Do you have leftover pineapple in your fridge? Then you can try out this spicy pickled pineapple recipe with jalapeño and cilantro! It is great in combination with cold cuts, cheese or roast dinners.
What?
Pickled pineapple?
This can’t be true.
Sure is.
Pickle Guys, NY
I coincidentally stumbling upon the Pickle Guys shop in New York.
I have always been a fan of pickles and pickled food. But the shop looked like pickle heaven to me!
A bunch of plastic barrels as far as you can see all over the shop floor.
All stuffed to the brim with a specific type of pickle. I loved it. So much inspiration to take back home with me!
And right after that I started to develop a taste for pickling ingredients, and especially leftovers. Sweet pickled pineapple for instance was one of the condiments that I saw back there in NY.
Pickled Fruits
I have to admit that it seemed a little odd at first.
That sweet fruit in a vinegar brine. But nevertheless I kept that idea in the back of my mind for a long time.
I just had to try it out and see for myself.
Do you like pickles?
Here in Belgium if you say ‘pickles’, it means that classic yellow piccalilly sauce. When I visited the US for the very first time, I realised that a pickle can mean lots of pickled ingredients.
Pickles Worldwide
Like that pickled sweet and sour sliced gherkin you get with a pastrami sandwich for instance.
Pickles are not only popular in the US.
Lots of countries and cuisines serve some kind of pickle. Like in Japan for instance. Japanese preserved vegetables are called tsukemono and you serve it as a little side dish with breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Another pickle version that I love is kimchi, or Korean fermented and pickled spicy cabbage. Do you like cabbage? The hubs hates it but I love it. I could eat it straight out of the jar, as a snack.
What is your favorite pickle?
Easy Recipe for Pickled Pineapple Preserve
How in this world did I come up with the idea of pickled pineapple?
So one fine day I made this Thai prawn and pineapple soup for lunch with canned pineapple.
Because the fresh ones in my supermarket are way too sour. And I ended up with half a can of leftover pineapple slices. But since I was leaving on holiday the week after that I thought it would be the right time to finally execute my pickle plan.
So there you go: pineapple, fresh cilantro, red onion and a spicy portion of sliced jalapeños to give it a good kick.
Marinade
I let the pineapple marinate for about 2 weeks, the time that I was on holiday.
Eating it all only took less than 48 hours though.
I love this pineapple pickle in combination with cold cuts, cheese or roast dinners. I am even thinking of making salmon tacos and use the pickled pineapple as a topping next time.
That just has to work!
I sometimes chop the pineapple up finely to make a pickled pineapple salsa or relish.
Hey, can you use fresh pineapple to make this pickled pineapple?
Oh sure thing! I would have loved to do that too.
Canned or fresh, you choose.
Fresh or Canned Pineapple?
Oh and you can use the pineapple juice that is still left in the can if you are using canned pineapple.
Just be careful when adding the rest of the sugar: I would go for half the amount then because the juice is quite sugary already.
Add extra sugar to taste if you want it to be extra sweet!
Do you love pickled veg and fruits? Interested in pickling veg at home?
Then you should also check out my pickled cabbage for tacos and hotdogs!
How to make pickled pineapple: here we go.
Enjoy!
Easy Sweet Pickled Pineapple Recipe
- 10,5 oz canned pineapple (300 g)
- a handful red onion sliced
- 2 spicy pickled jalapeño chilies sliced
- ¼ cup water (60 ml)
- 1 cup white wine vinegar (240 ml)
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- a handful fresh cilantro chopped finely
- salt
-
Pour the vinegar and water in a large saucepan (you can also add the pineapple juice if you are using canned pineapple) and add the sliced red onion.
-
Chop the canned pineapple into bite-size chunks and add them as well.
-
Place this over medium-high heat and bring it to a gentle boil. Then add the sliced jalapeño.
-
Stir well and add the freshly chopped cilantro. Season with the caster sugar (1 tbsp of sugar if you have already added the pineapple juice) and a pinch of salt to taste. Add more sugar if you want it to be extra sweet.
-
Turn the heat off and let the pineapple cool down a bit in the vinegar. Then spoon the pineapple, onion and jalapeños in a sterilized glass jar and fill it up with the vinegar. Let the pickled pineapple cool down fully now at room temperature. Don’t close the jar. Once it is cold, you can close the jar tightly. Let the pineapple marinate in the fridge for at least a week.
What is the herb?
Made some about a month ago. Lemongrass, leaves from a Meyer lemon tree ginger and crushed red pepper.
Is fermented pineapple ok for health? Curious to know after seeing people fermenting almost every veggie and fruit.