What: Okra pickles from The Cove Restaurant, San Antonio Texas
Where: Pearl Farmer’s Market
When: 9:52 AM Saturday morning
Why: Crunchy okra, pickled overnight in a salty, red wine vinegar brine flavored with oregano, bay leaves and mustard seed, is great—but this tangy refrigerator pickle turns addictive when a spoonful of whole coriander seeds is tossed into the bowl. The spice gives the okra an unexpected, sweetly aromatic flavor, while an ancho chile creates a pleasing afterburn.
If you’d like the recipe for this easy pickle—a fleeting way to preserve fall’s bounty—read on.
Quick Pickled Okra
(Adapted from The Cove Restaurant, San Antonio, Texas)
If you’d like a milder, less acidic pickle, consider substituting ½ to ¾ cup water for the same amount of red wine vinegar in the following recipe. And if you love coriander seed, you can double (or even triple) the amount specified.
Ingredients for the pickle:
1 pound fresh, young okra
4 small onions
3 sprigs fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried oregano)
6 tablespoons salt
3 cups red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon coriander seeds (or more, to taste)
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 dried ancho chile
¼ teaspoon cayenne
Method for the pickle:
1. Wash okra and trim stems to ¼ inch. Slice okra in half lengthwise and place in a colander. Toss okra with 3 tablespoons of the salt and let sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. Cut the onions in half through the root end and slice crosswise into ½ inch thick crescents. Put the onions into a sauce pan along with the remaining ingredients. Simmer over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the brine is ready.
3. Rinse the salt off the okra and put into a metal bowl large enough to hold both the okra and the brine. Combine the two and allow them to come to room temperature on the counter, or cool rapidly in an ice bath.
4. Refrigerate the okra pickle anywhere from half an hour to overnight.
Enjoy quickly! They will only keep for a few days—if they last that long.
