This pickled pineapple has a hint of spice from sliced jalapeños and is the perfect sandwich and salad topper with it’s tangy sweet bite.
In case you haven’t heard, it’s like beyond cold in the Northeast lately.
We decided to run our wood stove out the other day because the alternative required restocking the wood pile about 50 feet from the house and in these temps neither of us wanted to do that.
The result, however, was a boiler that literally ran non-stop the entire day.
Pretty sure we went through about 20 gallons of oil in one day.
So, while it’s so ridiculously cold the dog won’t even go outside in the morning (after holding it for over 12 hours), instead of complaining like everyone else (like I really want to) about the insanity of this winter, we took off for a mini-vacation in Vermont deciding to embrace the cold by snowmobiling and skiing for a few days.
The funny thing is, when you’re wearing 10 layers and have lovely heated hand grips and the engine exhaust blasting on your feet (which have 3 socks on them) driving through the picturesque forest from ski resort to ski resort, the cold actually isn’t so bad despire the car saying it was -9 degrees outside.
Until you need to pee and your exposed ass almost freezes off in the process that is.
You’re welcome for that visual.
All that being said, I’m very much looking forward to the Dominican Republic in 8 days and shedding about 9 of those layers for its warm temps, beaches, water and..tropical fruit.
Like pineapple.
A quick jaunt into BJs the other day resulted in a pineapple purchase because Ulysses is king of not knowing what fruit is actually in season and will buy things like pineapple in February.
Usually this drives me crazy (like when watermelon that tastes like nothing but water and tomatoes that are so mealy and tasteless I can’t even swallow them end up in my kitchen) but, this time I decided to give him half and do something that I’ve been thinking about for awhile now with the other half.
Pickle it.
While given the time of year it would’ve been more appropriate to pickle cranberries, I can’t say I was too upset about this momentary reprieve from the seasonal cold.
I love all the pickled things. Fruits, vegetables, all of it!
A while back I wrote about how to ferment vegetables and since that time, I’ve made things like simple homemade pickles and pickled garlic scapes.
I’ve never tasted anything pickled I didn’t like.
In my book, anything soaked in vinegar is bound to be delicious.
As the person who used to drink the balsamic salad dressing out of the bottom of the bowl as a kid, the more tangy, the better.
Pickled Pineapple
Pineapple might actually be one of my most favorite pickled ingredients ever.
The play between the sweetness of the pineapple and the tart tang of the Nakano citrus seasoned vinegar is just awesome.
I chose the citrus seasoned rice vinegar for this pickle because I love how it goes with the spiciness of the jalapeño and the fresh cilantro.
It’s the perfect vinegar for the job.
Honestly, I could just eat these straight out of the jar (I suggest a wide mouth mason jar for this or something like the jar shown if you have it) as a snack but they also make an incredible addition to any salad or sandwich.
I highly suggest making these and then making these pickled pineapple BBQ pork sandwiches with the pickled pineapple.
They’re also great as a taco topping. Try some finely chopped on these lamb tacos!
And then maybe some tepache to go with it for the full pineapple experience!
That said, if you don’t have citrus rice vinegar on hand, I’d recommend the following substitution:
- white vinegar
- a couple tablespoons of fresh citrus juice
More recipes for the pickled food lover:
Pickled blueberry panzanella salad
Balsamic Pickled Shiitake Crostini
Pickled Fennel Citrus Salad
Spicy Pickled Pineapple
Ingredients
- 1/2 pineapple cut into half circles
- 1 1/2 cup Nakano citrus seasoned rice vinegar, or regular rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 large jalapeno, sliced into circles
- 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
- juice of 2 limes
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Place the vinegar, sugar, jalapeno, salt and lime juice in a small sauce pot. Bring to a simmer stir until sugar dissolves, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Place the pineapple and cilantro into a large jar.
- Pour the vinegar mixture over the pineapple, it should just cover the top slice.
- Seal and refrigerate at least 1 day before eating.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Pineapple will become more tangy with time.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
More recipes using Nakano vinegar:
Cilantro mango wild rice salad
Sea salt and vinegar beet chips
Grilled scallop citrus ceviche
Spicy rosemary tomato peach chutney
Turkey and sage stuffed apples
Brussels sprouts pumpkin and apple hash
Winter chopped kale salad
Beef and mushroom bolognese
Citrus braised lamb shanks with green harissa
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
Sounds yummy! Wonder about using mango or strawberry with it? Would this work chopped up for a salsa?
Strawberry and mango would be delicious pickled as well! And it would definitely work as a salsa :)
FINALLY A RECIPE FOR PINEAPPLE. CAN YOU USE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR? I SAY YOU SHOULD TRY PUTTING CHERRIES IN WITH THE PINEAPPLE . WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Yes, you can use apple cider vinegar. Cherries would be a fun addition, go for it!
Will this work if one substitutes canned pineapple slices for the fresh slices? Has any one actually tried this substitution?
I haven’t tried it with canned pineapple so not totally sure but I’d imagine it would work.
This is so interesting. I adore pineapple normally but I have never tried it pickled. Does it keep most of its sweetness after pickling? I love pickled food but I havn’t tried any pickled fruits whatsoever. I think this would be great in a salad or on a sandwich like you mentioned in the comments! I really want to try this at home. Thanks for sharing!
How would u serve this.
Plenty of ways! Use in salads or on sandwiches like these BBQ pork ones: https://www.runningtothekitchen.com/pickled-pineapple-bbq-pork-sandwiches/. Also just a great snack too.
I’m making a batch for turkey leftovers: individual naan bread spread with a spicy BBQ sauce, with dabs of leftover
turkey and peppered with pickled pineapple and jalapenos, no cheese needed (though a Swiss or Gruyere might be good!) but the yummiest pizza imaginable. Broil about 8-10 minutes. Put out all the ingredients and do a build-your-own -pizza night. Can hardly wait till Black Friday to enjoy it.
Recipe sounds wonderful but I’m having problem finding this flavor of vinegar. Can I substitute anything for the citrus vinegar?
You can just use regular rice vinegar instead if you can’t find flavored.
This pineapple looks like it is definitely worth a try to make. I never really thought of pickling pineapple. Maybe something you haven’t heard of is pickling eggs?
You inspired me! I made a similar version here with a different kind of vinegar.
Pineapple is my favorite fruit! Plus I’ve been really into the sweet and spicy combo lately. I just posted a video about making a spicy pickled margarita with pickle juice and jalapeños.
I will totally be trying your recipe. Bet the brine would make a good cocktail with rum!
Wow! This sounds amazing and I’m on a citrus/tropical fruits binge now.
I think I am gonna make this for boiling water bath preserving. Thanks!