Easy Cucumber and Dill Pickles
These refrigerator pickles are crunchy, tangy, and ready to eat the next day. Perfect with cheese and crackers, in sandwiches, alongside cold meats, or straight from the jar when you fancy something sharp and satisfying.
Easy Cucumber and Dill Pickles
PREP/COOK TIME - 10 MINS | DIFFICULTY RATING - EASY | SERVES - MANY |
RECIPE TYPE - SAUCE/DIP/SIDE
Ingredients
For the brine:
720ml white wine vinegar (or distilled white vinegar)
540ml cold water
2½ tablespoons sea salt (about 35g)
3 tablespoons mustard seeds
3 tablespoons coriander seeds
3 tablespoons peppercorns
2 bay leaves
For the jars:
About 570g baby cucumbers, sliced into rounds
4 spring onions, roughly chopped (white and green bits)
6 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly bashed
A good handful of fresh dill
Instructions
If you've got time (and I often don't), stick your sliced cucumbers in a colander with some ice cubes for 20 minutes or so. This gives them extra crunch. If you're in a rush, skip it and don’t worry, they'll still be lovely.
Make your brine by chucking the vinegar, water, salt, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, and bay leaves into a saucepan. Bring it to the boil, then turn down the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Take it off the heat and let it cool down a bit.
Pack your cucumbers into clean jars along with the spring onions, garlic, and dill. Really stuff them in there – you want them nice and snug.
Pour the cooled brine over everything, making sure the cucumbers are completely submerged. Use the back of a spoon to push them down if needed. Give the jars a gentle tap on the worktop to release any air bubbles.
Put the lids on and stick them in the fridge. They're best left overnight to develop their flavour, but as I said, I've definitely eaten them after just a few hours, and they're still brilliant.
My notes and tips
These will keep in the fridge for up to 2 months, though I've never managed to make a batch last that long. They're perfect with cheese and crackers (especially good at Christmas), in sandwiches, chopped into tuna or egg mayo, alongside cold meats, or just eaten straight from the jar when you fancy something tangy and crunchy.
The brine is quite sharp and savoury – if you prefer sweeter pickles, you can add a few tablespoons of sugar to the brine. I like mine punchy though.
You can use this same method for other veg too – carrots, red onions, radishes, green beans. Just adjust the blanching time if needed for harder vegetables.
Inspired by Suzy Karadsheh's Quick Pickled Cucumber Recipe
Enjoy making them.
