Pickled gherkins


Pickled gherkins
Preparing your own gherkins in vinegar is quite straightforward, if you know how to avoid a few pitfalls. Here's a recipe which works every time.
763K 3.5/5 based on 255 reviews
Grade this recipe:

Last modified on: August 21th 2013

Keywords for this recipe:
For 500 g, you will need:

Change these quantities to make:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 36 min.
Resting: 4 hours
All in all: 4 hours 36 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time

Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - 5 min.
Pickled gherkins
Wash the 500 g fresh gherkins thoroughly.

Stage 2 - 10 min.
Pickled gherkins
Brush each gherkin under running water to remove all the little "bristles" and give it a smooth surface.

Stage 3
Pickled gherkins
If you don't have a suitable brush, or if you prefer, you can use my grandmother Jeanne's method: rub them with the corner of a tea-towel.

Stage 4 - 5 min.
Pickled gherkins
Cut off any remaining stalks from the gherkins.

Stage 5 - 5 min.
Pickled gherkins
Rinse again, then dry with a tea-towel.

Stage 6 - 3 hours
Pickled gherkins
Put the gherkins in a bowl with 300 g coarse salt for 3 hours to draw off some of the juice.

Note: contarary to popular belief, there is no need to soak them any longer than this, as they will start to dry out.

Stage 7 - 5 min.
Pickled gherkins
After this time, discard the salty water and rinse the gherkins...

Stage 8 - 1 hour
Pickled gherkins
...and soak them for 1 hour in a bowl of cold water. We do this so that the gherkins will not be too salty.

After one hour, drain the gherkins and dry them on a tea-towel.

Stage 9 - 1 min.
Pickled gherkins
Pour 1 sprig tarragon and a few peppercorns into the bottom of the jar you are going to use.

Stage 10 - 5 min.
Pickled gherkins
Fill the jar with gherkins and cover with cold white vinegar (there's no need to boil or even heat it).

Seal the lid and leave to mature for a month before eating.
Remarks
You can use a different vinegar if you prefer, but if you do not use white vinegar, your gherkins may take on an unusual colour.
Keeping: Several months.
Source: According to the lady on the market who sold me gherkins.
Nutritional information
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe5 2 %10 1 %070 3 %290 3 %
Per 100 g01 0 %06 0 %30 0 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman Change to a man
Possible allergens in this recipe: Sulfites
How much will it cost?
  • For 500 g : 3.36 €

Change currency:

Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Other recipes you may also like
Cream sauce with Vin Jaune
Cream sauce with Vin Jaune
This sauce made with Vin Jaune ("yellow wine") is emblematic of Comtoise cuisine from Eastern France. It combines the smoothness of cream with the slight acidity and typical flavour of the Vin Jaune. The tricky aspect of cooking with Vin Jaune is that its fugitive flavour tends to disappear when...
October 3rd 2018198K4 46 min.
French baguettes
French baguettes
This classic of French baking is rather different from the recipe for leavened bread, it's a question of making a good crust and light crumb along the whole length. To succeed, you should know that there are two secrets: water first of all (much more than for normal bread), and the working of the...
October 24th 20171.1M 364.7 5 hours 6 min.
Stewed apricots
Stewed apricots
Here is how to make delicious stewed apricots, both an easy and a more sophisticated way.
July 12th 2023771K 143.6 1 hour 17 min.
How to prepare a lettuce
How to prepare a lettuce
It is much more economical to buy a whole lettuce than separate leaves in a plastic packet. And it's so simple to prepare - you can see how here.
April 17th 2011395K4.8 28 min.
Bavaroise cream
Bavaroise cream
A "bavaroise" is made with custard, set with gelatin after cooking, and with whipped cream added once it has cooled. This makes a delicious, smooth cream that can be used to create many different desserts.
May 8th 202221K 40 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com

Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2024-09-22)

*Your e-mail Your first name or nickname
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Posted by:
I am not a leaving thing
The 7 comments already posted on this recipe
  • As you read it in the recipe: At your choice, white vinegar => classical gherkins, other vinegars (red wine vinegar for example) gherkins with unusual colour, but still goods.
    Posted by jh august 4th 2017 at 18:28 n° 7
  • Your instructions specifically say to use white vinegar, but then right below it u say you can use a different vinegar if we'd like, but don't use white vinegar because it leaves and unusual color....? Which one is it?? White or not white?
    Posted by Julie august 4th 2017 at 16:50 n° 6
  • I had been looking for an uncomplicated recipe for pickled gherkins. Great thing here is that it seems the most sensible and gets straight to the point without having to read lots of twaddle!
    Posted by Frederick july 3rd 2015 at 18:48 n° 5
  • Sorry, I don't know how to.
    My skill in garden work is close to zero :-(
    Posted by jh january 14th 2015 at 09:19 n° 4
  • Thank you for the instructions. I have just bought gherkin seeds for this year's summer, but did not know how to pickle them.
    I am looking forward to harvesting and pickling my own gherkins!
    Posted by Fumiko from Japan january 14th 2015 at 08:37 n° 3
  • I always leave them whole, because they are small and don't need to be cut.
    But if you use big one, I think (but not totally sure) that you can cut them in pieces.
    Posted by jh october 20th 2014 at 10:25 n° 2
  • Can the gherkins be sliced before putting them into the jar or would you recommend leaving them whole?
    Posted by Kirstie-G october 19th 2014 at 12:48 n° 1
Follow this recipe (as 40 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
I am not a leaving thing
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.

Back to top of page