Suggestions for pickled and/or fermented snacks
July 18, 2022 7:26 PM Subscribe
I am a compulsive snacker and my snack of choice is anything pickled or lacto-fermented. What are some foods I can order online (NE US) or ferment at home that would scratch the itch? The ideal is something that I can get and consume in bulk quantities (e.g. olives).
I love:
canned mushrooms (especially the rubbery texture, go figure)
lacto-fermented cucumbers (as sour as possible)
castelvetrano olives (regular pimento olives are so-so, fancier ones are good but too expensive for my purposes)
canned artichoke hearts/bottoms (in a lemony brine)
lacto-fermented cabbage hearts, radishes, beets
hot pickled okra
Bonus question: what are some small, low-calorie non-pickled things (along the lines of nuts or small crackers) that would go well with these on a snack plate?
I love:
canned mushrooms (especially the rubbery texture, go figure)
lacto-fermented cucumbers (as sour as possible)
castelvetrano olives (regular pimento olives are so-so, fancier ones are good but too expensive for my purposes)
canned artichoke hearts/bottoms (in a lemony brine)
lacto-fermented cabbage hearts, radishes, beets
hot pickled okra
Bonus question: what are some small, low-calorie non-pickled things (along the lines of nuts or small crackers) that would go well with these on a snack plate?
If spicy-pickled things appeal to you, you may like hot giardinara, a sort of loosely chopped relish that is served on a Chicago-style beef sandwich. This is sort of a condiment more than a freestanding snack, but you can enjoy it on toast or with cheese or charcuterie.
posted by gauche at 7:33 PM on July 18, 2022
posted by gauche at 7:33 PM on July 18, 2022
Pickled green beans! (Or ‘dilly beans’ if you prefer.)
We like parmesan crisps and jerky alongside our pickles-nuts-and-cheese platters.
posted by zeee at 7:34 PM on July 18, 2022 [2 favorites]
We like parmesan crisps and jerky alongside our pickles-nuts-and-cheese platters.
posted by zeee at 7:34 PM on July 18, 2022 [2 favorites]
Pickled garlic ("sweet," or spicy")
Dill Pickle Oyster Crackers
Parmesan-rosemary Icebox Crackers
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:39 PM on July 18, 2022
Dill Pickle Oyster Crackers
Parmesan-rosemary Icebox Crackers
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:39 PM on July 18, 2022
On mobile so can’t link but I love Japanese pickles and there’s a huge variety of them! Search for “tsukemono” or “oshinko” and see if anything grabs your eye.
posted by Vatnesine at 7:57 PM on July 18, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by Vatnesine at 7:57 PM on July 18, 2022 [4 favorites]
Turnips work about like beets and radishes. You can do turnips with the occasional chunk of beet thrown in to get the pink pickles that many shawarma places serve.
posted by nebulawindphone at 8:07 PM on July 18, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by nebulawindphone at 8:07 PM on July 18, 2022 [2 favorites]
Kimchi is not just cabbage. You can find all kinds of variations of it. I love turnip kimchi, the kind that’s little cubes. So crunchy! If you have a perilla plant you can make perilla leaf kimchi which is fast and herbaceous, really yummy to top a plain protein like simply grilled meats or even cold tofu. If you want to pass on spicy, there’s white kimchi which has all the crunch and ferment and none of the heat. Any kind of kimchi is fantastic with rice crackers as a snack, of course.
Look for Israeli style hamutzim. They are vinegar based mixed vegetable pickles with aromatic spices and gorgeous color. Often they’re cauliflower based but can be made with all kinds of things. A sort of cousin to giardiniera. Awesome with pita chips, crispy roasted chick peas, olives, etc.
Another cousin is escabeche, the wonderful pickled vegetables you can find at good taco stands and any Mexican kitchen. My favorite combination is carrot heavy, especially carrots and thick slices of red radish. A lot of people load it up with jalapeños but when I want chili I prefer poblano or Anaheim because they have better flavor. Either way, it’s a super fast pickle that you can make in huge quantities for cheap. Lots of recipes out there for it, or you can support your local taqueria by asking if you can buy some of theirs. The key is definitely the Mexican oregano; it just doesn’t taste right to me otherwise.
posted by Mizu at 8:15 PM on July 18, 2022 [8 favorites]
Look for Israeli style hamutzim. They are vinegar based mixed vegetable pickles with aromatic spices and gorgeous color. Often they’re cauliflower based but can be made with all kinds of things. A sort of cousin to giardiniera. Awesome with pita chips, crispy roasted chick peas, olives, etc.
Another cousin is escabeche, the wonderful pickled vegetables you can find at good taco stands and any Mexican kitchen. My favorite combination is carrot heavy, especially carrots and thick slices of red radish. A lot of people load it up with jalapeños but when I want chili I prefer poblano or Anaheim because they have better flavor. Either way, it’s a super fast pickle that you can make in huge quantities for cheap. Lots of recipes out there for it, or you can support your local taqueria by asking if you can buy some of theirs. The key is definitely the Mexican oregano; it just doesn’t taste right to me otherwise.
posted by Mizu at 8:15 PM on July 18, 2022 [8 favorites]
I have no connection, other than as a long-time customer, but check out Olive My Pickle.
posted by DanSachs at 8:15 PM on July 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by DanSachs at 8:15 PM on July 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
Umeboshi/ Salted Sour Plums
Rock Salt Lemon peel, also available in Japanese markets,
posted by effluvia at 8:24 PM on July 18, 2022 [3 favorites]
Rock Salt Lemon peel, also available in Japanese markets,
posted by effluvia at 8:24 PM on July 18, 2022 [3 favorites]
Hearts of Palm! (canned in brine like artichoke hearts) As good as artichoke hearts. Makes a great "ceviche", just replace the fish/scallops with hearts of palm.
Maybe ... canned jackfruit either in the native chunks or shredded or further brined, more texture than hearts of palm and very briny. Add favorite seasonings as it tastes like nothing but brine.
I had a Scandinavian pickle snack plate that had 4 different pickles each with very distinct flavors - mushroom, cucumbers, carrot, green bean - and the flavors included dill, turmeric, horseradish. It was enjoyable to go around the plate trying each one after the other. Cut each pickle distinctly - long green beans, coins of cucumber, batons of carrot, whole mushrooms. Something like this.
Super low calorie accompaniment? Endive or lettuce leaves. Shrimp.
Best accompaniment? Homemade sourdough crackers - 1 c flour (chickpea/buckwheat/regular/mix) 1 c sourdough discard* 1/4 c olive oil spread very thinly on silpat, sprinkle on seeds or salt as desired or leave plain, bake 20m for 350, serve broken into pieces
* if you don't have any, replace sourdough discard with 1/2 water and 1/2 more flour
posted by RoadScholar at 8:25 PM on July 18, 2022 [2 favorites]
Maybe ... canned jackfruit either in the native chunks or shredded or further brined, more texture than hearts of palm and very briny. Add favorite seasonings as it tastes like nothing but brine.
I had a Scandinavian pickle snack plate that had 4 different pickles each with very distinct flavors - mushroom, cucumbers, carrot, green bean - and the flavors included dill, turmeric, horseradish. It was enjoyable to go around the plate trying each one after the other. Cut each pickle distinctly - long green beans, coins of cucumber, batons of carrot, whole mushrooms. Something like this.
Super low calorie accompaniment? Endive or lettuce leaves. Shrimp.
Best accompaniment? Homemade sourdough crackers - 1 c flour (chickpea/buckwheat/regular/mix) 1 c sourdough discard* 1/4 c olive oil spread very thinly on silpat, sprinkle on seeds or salt as desired or leave plain, bake 20m for 350, serve broken into pieces
* if you don't have any, replace sourdough discard with 1/2 water and 1/2 more flour
posted by RoadScholar at 8:25 PM on July 18, 2022 [2 favorites]
I am also here to represent escabeche (the Mexican variety); I enjoy being blasphemous and using a shitload of red onions so that everything is wonky-colored, but of course the red onions themselves are nice when pickled separately.
...there is also a massive universe of Indian pickles, some of which can be a bit ... challenging ... to construct but worth investigating.
posted by aramaic at 9:04 PM on July 18, 2022 [2 favorites]
...there is also a massive universe of Indian pickles, some of which can be a bit ... challenging ... to construct but worth investigating.
posted by aramaic at 9:04 PM on July 18, 2022 [2 favorites]
I like to lacto-ferment cauliflower with turmeric, cumin, onion, garlic, carrot, chili flakes etc. Submerge for 2-4 weeks in basic brine (1/4 c pickling salt to 1/2 gal boiled water), around or below 70F. I use half gallon mason jars. You can get them really hot or really sour or both with some practice :)
posted by SaltySalticid at 9:22 PM on July 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by SaltySalticid at 9:22 PM on July 18, 2022 [1 favorite]
The Pickle Guys website might give you some ideas (they ship, so you can shop there, but they're pretty expensive even shopping in person). Their horseradish pickles are amazing though.
I can also highly recommend making bread and butter pickles using cauliflower instead of cucumber. I use the recipe in the Superiority Burger cookbook, but I think any bread and butter pickle brine would work on small florets.
posted by snaw at 4:12 AM on July 19, 2022
I can also highly recommend making bread and butter pickles using cauliflower instead of cucumber. I use the recipe in the Superiority Burger cookbook, but I think any bread and butter pickle brine would work on small florets.
posted by snaw at 4:12 AM on July 19, 2022
If there’s a Korean supermarket near you they will likely have a fridge section near the kimchee with ban chan - various savoury things, many of them pickled, that go in little side dishes to eat with rice. I like the bean sprouts, and the cubed tofu with seasonings on top.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 4:33 AM on July 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by nouvelle-personne at 4:33 AM on July 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
Curtido! It's a Salvadoran cabbage pickle dish/condiment that's somewhere between sauerkraut and kimchi and coleslaw. It's traditionally served as an accompaniment to pupusas but I'm happy to eat it with a fork. Here's an easy non-fermented recipe, or you may be able to buy it at the grocery store depending on where you are. There are lacto-fermented recipes out there too but I've never tried one.
posted by mskyle at 5:09 AM on July 19, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by mskyle at 5:09 AM on July 19, 2022 [3 favorites]
Carrots, beets, pearl onions, garlic (do not home can a jar of only pickled garlic)
Eggs
The eggs obviously aren’t as low calorie as vegetables, but if you need a protein punch that makes your mouth pucker, they’re a good option. I pickle eggs in leftover brine.
There are thousands of different brine recipes online. If you’re storing in your fridge and consuming fairly quickly, you have a lot of flexibility.
Staples in my pickling spice repertoire are whole garlic cloves, onion slices, mustard seeds, dill seeds, fresh dill, celery seeds, black peppercorns, and red chili flakes. You can find lots more things to try online.
I did make canned pickled cabbage once and still haven’t finished all the jars of that I made. It is not a favorite.
posted by bilabial at 6:50 AM on July 19, 2022
Eggs
The eggs obviously aren’t as low calorie as vegetables, but if you need a protein punch that makes your mouth pucker, they’re a good option. I pickle eggs in leftover brine.
There are thousands of different brine recipes online. If you’re storing in your fridge and consuming fairly quickly, you have a lot of flexibility.
Staples in my pickling spice repertoire are whole garlic cloves, onion slices, mustard seeds, dill seeds, fresh dill, celery seeds, black peppercorns, and red chili flakes. You can find lots more things to try online.
I did make canned pickled cabbage once and still haven’t finished all the jars of that I made. It is not a favorite.
posted by bilabial at 6:50 AM on July 19, 2022
Rollmops, pickled herring in a brine.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 7:49 AM on July 19, 2022
posted by TWinbrook8 at 7:49 AM on July 19, 2022
I really like the Oh Snap pickle slices that come in a package. Probably don't buy on amazon though.
They have both spicy and not spicy versions.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 8:41 AM on July 19, 2022
They have both spicy and not spicy versions.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 8:41 AM on July 19, 2022
Some great suggestions here. The kimchi stand at the greenmarket makes ramp kimchi, dandelion kimchi, rhubarb kimchi, green tomato kimchi...Note that if you make kimchi at home, just one or two cabbage heads makes a staggering volume of kimchi. Enough that you'll be eating it for months.
posted by praemunire at 9:07 AM on July 19, 2022
posted by praemunire at 9:07 AM on July 19, 2022
garlic (do not home can a jar of only pickled garlic)
More specifically, you shouldn't store garlic in oil, and you shouldn't can it. But if you pickle it in wine or vinegar, it stays good in the fridge for about 4 months. Garlic pickled in vinegar is great as long as you keep it refrigerated.
posted by nebulawindphone at 10:59 AM on July 19, 2022
More specifically, you shouldn't store garlic in oil, and you shouldn't can it. But if you pickle it in wine or vinegar, it stays good in the fridge for about 4 months. Garlic pickled in vinegar is great as long as you keep it refrigerated.
posted by nebulawindphone at 10:59 AM on July 19, 2022
For low cal accompaniments to pickles, I like Laughing Cow cheese wedges (35 calories each, come in flavors), and lightly salted rice cakes or Wasa crackers as lower calorie alternatives to (better, but far more caloric) “real” crackers.
posted by little mouth at 3:48 PM on July 19, 2022
posted by little mouth at 3:48 PM on July 19, 2022
There’s a Russian grocery store in my area where you can get the most delicious pickled whole apples in the deli section. You may have a similar place nearby depending where in the northeast you are, but if you don’t this recipe looks correct.
posted by ActionPopulated at 4:08 PM on July 19, 2022
posted by ActionPopulated at 4:08 PM on July 19, 2022
Are you aware of Wickles in all their glory?
The okra and the garlic are personal favorites. Also the variety mix.
posted by mccxxiii at 7:18 AM on July 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
The okra and the garlic are personal favorites. Also the variety mix.
posted by mccxxiii at 7:18 AM on July 20, 2022 [2 favorites]
Salt and vinegar almonds are my go to desk snack to scratch this itch.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:53 PM on July 20, 2022
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 9:53 PM on July 20, 2022
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posted by shadygrove at 7:33 PM on July 18, 2022