WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Rather than employing the usual suspects, like cucumbers or onions, for this quick pickle, we happily settled on the unique sea bean. In just a few easy steps, we transformed a handful of sea beans into pickles perfect for an antipasto platter or sandwich topping— crunchy, tangy, a bit sweet, and loaded with fresh oceany flavor. Some pickling recipes call for seasoned rice vinegar, which already contains
vinegar, sugar, and salt, but favoring control over convenience, we opted for the unseasoned variety. This allowed the sea beans to contribute all the natural salinity that our pickling solution required, while still letting us regulate the amount of sweetness. We gave these pickles a classic flavor profile, with a hint of warm spice from black peppercorns, mustard seeds, and turmeric and a hit of garlic. Fresh dill sprigs added a mild anise flavor, similar to a hamburger pickle. Unlike classic pickles, however, after bringing the brine to a boil, we let the liquid cool completely before pouring it over the beans. This cooling step helped ensure a crisp texture and vibrant color even after the required one-day pickling time.
MAKES: one 1-pint jar
TOTAL TIME: 45 minutes (plus 24 hours refrigeration time)
- INGREDIENTS:
-
- 1½ cups unseasoned rice vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ⅛ teaspoon black peppercorns
- ⅛ teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
- 4 ounces sea beans, trimmed
- 2 sprigs fresh dill
- INSTRUCTIONS:
-
- Bring vinegar, water, sugar, garlic, turmeric, peppercorns, and mustard seeds to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat; remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
- Tightly pack sea beans and dill sprigs into jar. Using funnel and ladle, pour cooled brine over sea beans to cover.
- Cover jar with lid and refrigerate for 24 hours before serving. (Pickled sea beans can be refrigerated for up to 1 week; sea beans will become soft and darken significantly after 1 week.)
