Zure Gherkins
Traditional Amsterdam-style spiced sour pickles and baby gherkins steeped in herb-infused cider vinegar with mustard seeds, dill, and black peppercorns for a sharp, crunchy side.
Ingredients
- • 500g baby pickling gherkins, thoroughly scrubbed and dried
- • 100g Amsterdam silver-skin onions (zure uitjes)
- • 300ml distilled white vinegar
- • 150ml water
- • 2 tbsp pickling salt or coarse sea salt
- • 2 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
- • 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- • 3 fresh bay leaves
- • 4 fresh dill flowering heads or sprigs
Preparation Steps
Inspect the gherkins, trimming a sliver from the blossom end. Rinse thoroughly in ice-cold water to ensure crispness, then pat completely dry with clean kitchen towels.
Pack the gherkins and silver-skin onions tightly into sterilised glass preserving jars, alternating layers with fresh dill sprigs, bay leaves, mustard seeds, and whole peppercorns.
In a stainless steel saucepan, bring the vinegar, water, and pickling salt to a rolling boil, stirring until the salt is entirely dissolved.
Pour the steaming pickling liquid over the packed gherkins, leaving 1cm of headspace. Seal the jars with airtight lids, let cool to room temperature, and store in a cool dark place for at least 48 hours before enjoying.