Recipe: eatsimplefood.com/pickled-okra/
This easy and quick refrigerator whole okra recipe is pickled with mild red peppers, garlic, dill, mustard seed and vinegar in a quart size jar and refrigerated.
This is a "quick pickle" whole okra recipe - which means you have to refrigerate the jars once filled. The pickled okra is not shelf stable.
Leaving okra whole while cooking or pickling keeps it "fresher" and not "slimy", which turns so many folks off texturally.
Wait a couple days to try your okra after pickling. It needs time to marinate in the brine. Eat within ~3-4 weeks after refrigerating and wait around 1 week before eating it. Go ahead and try it a couple days in. It will still be good, just hasn't had time to pickle and soak up the flavors.
Eat pickled okra as a snack or throw in your favorite Bloody Mary.
How to Pick Okra For Quick Refrigerator Pickling
Pick small okra (~ 3") that are plump (aren't shriveled), smooth, bright green (although there are varieties of okra that range from purple to red), firm yet tender, and don't have a lot of blemishes.
Older okra or okra with dryer stem ends can be fibrous and stringy. Choose younger smaller okra for pickling to avoid toughness. Older okra would be good sliced for stews and recipes that cook for a longer time (like gumbo).
How To Store Okra
Okra is uber Perishable. It doesn't keep long. Store okra in a refrigerator with some loose paper towels around it in a perforated bag or an open shallow container. Try to use immediately, it gets slimy fast in storage.
How To Quick Pickle Okra For The Refrigerator
Add seasoning and herbs to to a clean quart size jar.
Trim okra stems to ¼". Add cleaned whole okra to clean quart size jar vertically, alternating stem ends up and down.
Bring a small pot with vinegar, water, and salt to a rolling boil and stir. Remove from heat and let cool ~ 5 minutes.
Pour mixture into jar(s) (careful it’s hot!), leaving ~ ¼″ air at top. Add more vinegar if there is space for more liquid in the jar before closing.
Let sit at room temperature ~ 1 hour to cool down, put on the lid, and then place in refrigerator.
What is the ratio of vinegar and water when brining?
Half and half is standard for safety and taste so 1 part water to 1 part vinegar with at least 5% acidity (you'll find the acidity under the ingredient list on the bottle).
For example 1 cup water to 1 cup vinegar. Having said that, if you like acidic vinegary foods, go a little higher.
If you're quick pickling like in this recipe and refrigerating right away, the ratio can be lowered to use less vinegar based on what tastes good to you. Please note, that if you lower the vinegar then they will not stay good in the refrigerator for the full 3 weeks.
Quick Pickled Okra FAQS
Why do you boil the brine for pickling okra?
Boiling pickling brine helps the flavors meld together as well as dissolving the salt.
Why do you cool the brine before pouring over the pickling vegetables for quick refrigerator pickling?
If the brine is hot it will cook the okra / vegetables a little bit and make them less crispy and less vibrant in color. Conversely, it will also pickle faster and you will be able to eat the pickled veggies faster.
It's basically a texture and color preference. You can throw the brine over the okra hot, let it cool a bit to medium, or let it cool all the way.
There is still room in my jar for more liquid after adding the brine mixture. What do I do?
If there is still room in the jar and it needs more liquid, make up the ratio with vinegar (preferably) or water or add some more okra if you have more.
How long do you boil the okra pickling brine?
The brine needs to be boiled just a couple minutes. Vinegar boils or cooks off faster than water, so don't cook the brine for more than 5 minutes.
Having said that, also don't worry about this too much for a quick refrigerator pickle. This is not true canning so we don't need to worry really.
Why is my okra floating?
If the okra is floating then it wasn't packed tight enough before adding the liquid. Also, okra is filled with a lot of air and absorbs the pickling liquid and the okra shrinks a little.
If you have a couple more okra throw them in after the liquid and try to pack it down more. The brine should cover the okra, but it's also not a huge deal in the quick pickling refrigerator method.
Do I eat the okra stems?
You can. It depends on the tenderness. Try it out and see if you like it. I'll sometimes eat the smaller ones and sometimes not.
Why does the okra turn brown once pickled?
It's the hot brine hitting the okra and cooking it basically. It's normal. Don't sweat it.