TimSylvester.com

Pickled Avocados

I was first exposed to pickled avocados at Baba’s Pantry, a phenomenal Palestinian restaurant and deli at 63rd & Troost.

This recipe is basically quick pickles but focused on avocados. It’s very flexible to customize however you like. I pretty much include the same ingredients as I would for pico de gallo or guacamole.

The recipe works for ripe avocados, but in this case, underripe ones are better because they’ll last longer before they start to dissolve. You’ll need to eat pickled ripe avocados within a week or so, but unripe ones will be fine for two to three weeks.

Unlike traditional pickles, you can’t just let them sit around forever, because the avocadoes will literally dissolve after a few weeks if you don’t eat them. That won’t be a problem, because they get eaten quickly.

Pickled avocados

Soft, buttery, salty, and sour, pickled avocados are a perfect compliment to a burger, salad, burrito, or just as a snack.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American, Mediterranean, Mexican

Equipment

  • 1 large canning jar
  • 1 cutting board
  • 1 kitchen knife
  • 1 cooking pot
  • 1 glass measuring cup
  • 1 thin bladed spoon

Ingredients
  

Pickling mix

  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 2 tbsp pickling salt
  • 2 tbsp white sugar

Ingredients to pickle

  • 3 small avocados
  • 1/2 tomato
  • 1/4 jalapeno
  • 1/8 bell pepper
  • 1/8 onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • a few stems of cilantro
  • pinch cumin seed
  • pinch coriander seed
  • pinch oregano
  • 1 small red chili

Instructions
 

Prepare the pickling mix

  • For every jar you're preparing, make 1 portion of pickling mix.
  • Add the pickling mix ingredients to the cooking pot.
  • Bring the cooking pot to boil.

Prepare the ingredients to be pickled

  • Add the cumin, coriander, oregano, and red chili to the bottom of each pickling jar.
  • Open the avocados and use the spoon to remove the flesh from the skin.
  • Slice the avocado flesh into 3-4 strips.
  • Slice the tomatoes into small wedges.
  • Slice the onion, jalapeno, and bell pepper into strips.
  • Cut the wood off the end of the garlic, cut it open, and remove the core.
  • Put the ingredients into the jars in whatever proportion you want.
  • After the pickling mix has come to a boil, while it's still boiling hot, pour it into the filled jars.
  • Leave 1/4" to 1/2" air space at the top of the jars so they can seal properly.
  • Place the canning lids on the jars and close them.
  • Let the jars stand until they reach room temp.
  • You can eat immediately after they're room temp (a few hours) or put them in the fridge.
  • The avocados will dissolve in a week or two, but the hard veggies will be fine for a long time.

Notes

Once you open a jar, they will vanish almost immediately. The avocados are soft, buttery, salty, and sour. The other veggies are perfectly pickled with a salsa / guacamole flavor. These won’t last long and everyone will want the recipe. 
Sometimes, pickled garlic will turn blue. It looks strange but it’s fine to eat, though I don’t usually eat the pickled garlic or cilantro myself, I just include it for the flavor it provides everything else.