I made up a small batch a few weeks ago, they're really good, and yesterday I made up 3 quarts of them.

They're very good out of hand for a light snack, and they're awesome diced up into potato salad.

All measurements are per quart jar.

Peeled white pearl onions to fill the jar... This is the worst part of the job, peeling all those little buggers. Even with the boiling water trick, it's still a pain...that's why I said sorta easy.

Into each jar add:

1 medium sized bay leaf

6 whole allspice berries.

1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon of whole coriander seed

1 level teaspoon of whole mustard seed

2 level teaspoons salt...do not use iodized salt. I use coarse Himalayan pink salt, but kosher or sea salt would be fine.

3 rounded teaspoons of raw Demerara sugar. Do not substitute with white sugar, we're looking for the taste that the residual molasses in the raw sugar gives to the onions.


Fill the jar to the top with malt vinegar...again, do not substitute. Malt vinegar has a unique taste not duplicated by any other vinegar. If you can't find it locally, Amazon carried Sarsons malt vinegar. They've only been making it since 1793, I reckon they know what they're doing.

Seal them up, shake them up a little and stick them in the back of the fridge, shaking occasionally to make sure that the sugar dissolves...it takes a while when it's cold. They're ready to eat when the onions start going brown.


Now, most recipes call for boiling the vinegar mix and pouring it hot into the jar...I skip all that. It makes the house reek and blows up my sinuses something fierce.

Just make sure your jars are clean and you keep the jars refrigerated once filled.

I'd recommend you try a small batch the first time, one or two pints, to see if you like them...I think you will.

Well I got a few jars sitting in the fridge now OP, thanks.

I bet they made the recipe back when there were no child labor laws. Get the little scraps to peel a million pounds, they can probably do it faster with small hands.

I used white sugar and ball pickling spice, because that is what I had. Did use legit malt vinegar. We'll see how they turn out.

edit: the easiest way to quickly peel them, ime, was to top and tail them (as the british would say?) and make a shallow cut halfway around, peel back with the paring knife.

Heh, I was thinking the same things, get the young'uns to peel all those onions, maybe make a competition out of it.

I do the top and tail thing, but I soak them in very hot water for a few minutes before I peel them, it makes them somewhat easier to deal with.

If you like them and make another batch, try using the raw sugar and you'll see what I mean about the flavor being better.

Enjoy!