"Shashlik" translated from Turkic is a dish fried on a spit. The method of cooking food over an open fire is known among all peoples of the world without exception, and this does not depend on the level of civilization. After all, it’s simple - catch a fish, catch a game (or buy a piece of meat or fish in a supermarket), put it on a twig (skewer), turn it over the fire, and that’s it, dinner is ready.
Nowadays, shish kebab is a festive dish, traditional for many nations, prepared in compliance with its culinary secrets. Kebabs are usually served with grilled sweet peppers and tomatoes, spicy and aromatic sauces, and fresh vegetable salads. But a constant and favorite addition to fried meat and fish is pickled onion.
Secrets of making pickled onions
There are many known methods for preparing onion marinade for barbecue or simply fried meat; each national cuisine has its own recipe.
The main ingredients for pickling: onions (regular white or red), table vinegar, spices and water.
There are different methods of marinating: cold, hot, dry.
Pickling onions without boiling (cold method)
Express recipe
This recipe will help even an inexperienced housewife quickly get pickled onions for barbecue. This recipe is very simple, it allows you to quickly prepare a delicious dish that will not only complement the barbecue well, but also serve as an independent snack.
Necessary ingredients for a half-liter glass jar:
- Water - 1 glass (cold boiled)
- Bay leaf - several leaves
- Ground black pepper (to taste) or ground
- Onion - several pieces (depending on the size of the root crops)
- Nine percent vinegar - 4 tablespoons (tablespoons)
- Granulated sugar - 1 tablespoon (tablespoon)
- Table salt - 1 tablespoon (tablespoon without top)
- Dill - several sprigs
Dissolve salt and granulated sugar in water, add vinegar. Peel the onion and cut into thin half-rings or rings. Wash dill and/or other spicy herbs to taste (parsley, cilantro) thoroughly and chop finely. Place onion rings sprinkled with prepared herbs in a jar and pour in the marinade. Then, seal the jar tightly with a lid, shake to mix the contents and put it in the refrigerator. After 20-25 minutes, the fragrant, spicy onion is ready to eat.
For those who do not like vinegar, there are recipes for marinating onions for barbecue in lemon juice or wine.
Recipe for pickling onions in lemon juice.
Required Products:
- Onions - 1-2 medium-sized pieces or one large onion
- Water - half a glass (boiled cold)
- Lemon - 1 piece
- Table salt - 1 teaspoon
- Granulated sugar - 1 teaspoon
- Sunflower oil - 1 teaspoon
- Dill or other spicy herbs to taste and desire
Peel the onion, wash thoroughly with cold water and carefully cut into rings or half rings. Squeeze lemon juice into the marinating water, add granulated sugar, salt and sunflower oil.
Pour the chopped onion with the resulting brine and add finely chopped herbs if desired. Seal the container well with a lid and shake. The onion is marinated in this way for 6 - 7 hours.
Recipe for pickling onions in wine
Required ingredients:
- Onions (preferably red) - two heads
- Dry wine (red) - one glass
- Table salt - half a teaspoon
- Granulated sugar - half a teaspoon
- Ground black hot pepper - half a teaspoon (optional)
Peel the onion, wash, cut into rings or half rings, place in a container for pickling, add salt, sugar, pepper and mix well. Then soak the whole mixture in wine and leave to marinate. After 2 or 2.5 hours, the onion is ready for barbecue.
Recipe for pickling onions in adjika
Marinating onions for shish kebab according to this recipe is a more labor-intensive task, but the taste of the resulting dish will please many.
To prepare you need to take:
- Onion - 3 - 4 heads
- Vinegar - half a glass (nine percent)
- Water - half a glass
- Dry adjika - quantity depends on taste preferences
Peel the onion, wash thoroughly, cut into rings or half rings and lightly beat with a mallet (wooden). Pour boiling water over the prepared onion and leave for 10 - 15 minutes. Next, pour the liquid into a marinating container, add vinegar, adjika and add onion.
After half an hour, the pickled onions can be served with hot fried meat or shish kebab.
Hot marinating onions
This method involves using a hot marinade, which cooks quite quickly.
The onion takes longer to marinate than when using cold pouring, but it turns out more spicy and piquant.
The recipe is universal (suitable for pickling any vegetables).
Necessary products for a liter glass jar:
- Onions - 6 heads
- Granulated sugar - 3 tablespoons
- Table salt - 1 tablespoon
- Water - 2 glasses
- Nine percent vinegar - 6 tablespoons
Peel the onion, rinse thoroughly with cold water and cut into rings or half rings, then place in a liter glass jar.
Pour water into a container, put on fire and bring to a boil. Then, remove the water from the heat, add granulated sugar, salt and vinegar. Pour the marinade prepared in this way into a jar with onions. Seal the jar with a lid and leave to cool at room temperature. The onion is placed in a cool place or refrigerator.
Vegetables prepared this way can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Spicy pickled onions recipe
Required Products:
- Onion - 4 heads
- Water - 200 grams
- Citric acid - 12 grams
- Table salt - 2 teaspoons
- Cinnamon (powder) - 1 pinch
- Bay leaf - 2-3 leaves
- Cloves - 2 pieces
- Red hot pepper - 1 pinch
- Black allspice - 4 peas
- Beets (red) - optional
Peel the onion, rinse with cold water and chop into rings or half rings. Prepare the marinade. To do this, pour water into a saucepan, put on fire, add citric acid, cloves, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Boil the solution for about five minutes.
Place bay leaf and prepared onion in a jar. Then, pour boiling marinade over everything and leave to cool in the air, then put in a cool place. Onions pickled in this way can be stored in the refrigerator for two weeks. You can add grated red beets to the marinade. This will give a nice pink color.
Dry pickling onions
If you need to quickly prepare pickled onions for a barbecue and bring them to a picnic, you can suggest dry marinating them.
Dry marinade recipe
Need to take:
- Onions - 4 heads
- Table salt - 1 teaspoon
- Granulated sugar - 2 tablespoons
- Apple or grape vinegar - 2 tablespoons
Peel the onion, rinse thoroughly and chop into rings or half rings, mash a little with your hands. Then sprinkle the onions with granulated sugar, salt and vinegar.
Place everything in a jar or plastic container. After 15-20 minutes, the pickled vegetable is ready to eat.
There are many recipes for pickled onions for barbecue. Let us once again remember the main secrets for all methods of preparing marinade:
- Cold water speeds up the onion pickling time
- You can pour boiling water over the onion so that the bitterness comes out faster when pickling.
- The thinner you cut the rings (half rings) of a vegetable, the faster it will marinate.
- Take a fresh, juicy, medium-sized onion for the marinade.
- The hot pickling method is not suitable for red onions.
Pickled onions are not only a tasty dish, but also very healthy. It’s not for nothing that they say: onions cure seven diseases. This pickled vegetable retains vitamins and serves as an excellent preventative against colds, viruses and bacteria.
Bon appetit!
Peel the onion and cut into half rings. Try to cut very thinly. Thinly sliced onions will marinate better and will look more aesthetically pleasing on a plate.
Place the chopped onion in a salad bowl. Add salt. 
Add sugar. 
Prepare a vinegar solution. Mix water (150 ml.) and vinegar essence (1 tsp.). Stir and pour the marinade into the onion. Instead of vinegar, I also encourage the use of lemon juice, in this case add 1 tablespoon. 
Mix well. It is very important that the marinade completely covers the chopped onions. Therefore, if you marinate more than one onion, increase the amount of marinade proportionally.
Add chopped greens. I didn't have any greenery on hand. So I added some dried parsley. Stir the onions again, cover the salad bowl with a lid and leave to marinate for 2-3 hours at room temperature. 
Remove the pickled onions from the marinade with a fork and place in a salad bowl or bowl. By the way, the remaining onion marinade will be an excellent sauce for meat. You can sprinkle it a little on the already prepared kebab or dip each piece and eat it. Delicious!
Summer, outdoor recreation, barbecue and an awesome snack: the most delicious pickled onions for barbecue. Real gourmets know: barbecue without pickled onions is a waste of money. Delicious pickled onions are the best addition to barbecue, so I highly recommend this recipe. The delicate crispy onion disappears very quickly (sometimes faster than kebab), it turns out incredibly juicy, tasty, and goes well with meat grilled over charcoal. You can also add onions pickled with sugar and vinegar to salads, serve with herring, or simply eat them with bread.
Ingredients:
- 400 grams of onions;
- one heaped tablespoon of sugar;
- salt - to taste;
- 3 tablespoons 9% vinegar;
- 0.5 teaspoon hot paprika;
- 0.3 teaspoon ground black pepper.
The most delicious pickled onions for barbecue. Step by step recipe
- Peel the onions, wash them and cut them into rings about 5 millimeters thick.
- Place the onion in a deep bowl, add sugar, 9% table vinegar, paprika and ground black pepper (according to the recipe).
- Salt to taste (I add very little salt). Mix everything well with a spoon.
- In a couple of minutes the onion is ready. But you can marinate it in advance.
- Before serving, if desired, you can add finely chopped dill for flavor.
And we’ll prepare a barbecue so that we have something to serve the onion with.
- Finely chop two large onions, place them in a deep saucepan and mash them thoroughly with your hands until the juice releases.
- Cut two kilograms of pork neck tenderloin into fairly large pieces (this will make the kebab more juicy). Place in a saucepan with onions and mix thoroughly.
- Add salt at the rate of one heaped teaspoon of salt per kilogram of meat. That is, for a given amount of meat, you will need two heaped teaspoons of salt.
- Add hot ground chili pepper: a quarter of a teaspoon.
- Mix 100 milliliters of water with the same amount of white table wine. Pour this mixture over the meat and stir.
- Chop 30-40 basil leaves not very finely and add them to the meat. Mix again, cover with a lid and leave to marinate for at least two hours (the longer, the better).
- Fry the finished meat on the grill, do not add the onion, it will burn. Turn the grill over periodically while frying the meat.
- You can also cook on skewers: do whatever you like best.
Sprinkle juicy, flavorful meat with pickled onions and serve with fresh vegetables and your favorite sauce. You can see recipes for sauces for meat on our website “Very Tasty”.
By preparing pickled onions for barbecue, you will complement the meat with an appropriate accompaniment that will highlight the taste of your favorite dish, adding piquancy and slight spiciness to it. Delicious crispy onion slices can also be served with other meat and fish dishes, added to salads or added to sandwiches.
How to marinate onions for barbecue?
The correct marinade for onions for shish kebab will ensure the preservation of the appetizing characteristic crunch and will help get rid of the excessive “evil spirit” of the vegetable. Having mastered the technique of executing recipes, getting the desired taste of the snack will not be difficult.
- The bulbs are peeled and cut into rings, half rings or longitudinal thin slices.
- Lightly knead the slices with your hands to separate the plates from each other, place the mass in a suitable container and pour in the marinade.
- A delicious marinade for onions for barbecue can be laconic and consist only of salt, sugar and vinegar, or more original and multi-component, prepared with the addition of herbs, spices, and herbs.
- Hot pouring, in which the onion slices are left to cool, will speed up the marinating and eliminate as much as possible the excessive pungency.
How to quickly marinate onions for barbecue?
Next, you will learn how to quickly marinate onions in vinegar for barbecue. If desired, you can initially pour boiling water over the onion slices for a minute, then allow them to drain well. You can replace apple cider vinegar with wine or lemon juice. Classically pickled onions or salad onions will be equally appetizing in their own way.
Ingredients:
- onions – 0.5 kg;
- apple cider vinegar – 2 tbsp. spoons;
- granulated sugar - 2 tbsp. spoons;
- salt, pepper – 0.5-1 teaspoon or to taste.
Preparation
- Chop the peeled onions into thin half rings or slices.
- Place the onion mass in a suitable container, add salt, pepper, granulated sugar, pour in vinegar, and gently knead the slices with the marinade components with your hands until the juice separates.
- After 15 minutes, the pickled onions for the kebab will be ready to serve.
How to marinate onions for shish kebab with vinegar?
Another recipe, the execution of which will make it possible to make, is presented below. In this case, classic table vinegar (9%) is used as a component of the marinade. The amount of marinade liquid should be such that it completely covers the onion slices.
Ingredients:
- onions – 300 g;
- table vinegar - 4 tbsp. spoons;
- granulated sugar – 1 tbsp. spoon;
- salt – 1 tbsp. spoon without slide;
- boiled water, cooled - 1 glass;
Preparation
- Peel the onions, chop the heads into half rings or thin slices, mix with chopped herbs if desired, pour the mass into a suitable container for pickling, or simply place it in a jar.
- Boil water, dissolve granulated sugar and salt in it, allow the mixture to cool.
- Mix vinegar into the marinade and pour it over the onions.
- After 30 minutes, you can taste the onions marinated in barbecue vinegar.
How to pickle onions for barbecue?
Pickled onions for shish kebab can be made in the traditional way, using one of the recipes suggested above, or you can use a more original technology and prepare the vegetable in. The extraordinary, incomparable taste and beautiful appearance of the resulting delicacy will surprise even experienced chefs, and will cause indescribable delight among ordinary people.
Ingredients:
- onions – 500 g;
- pomegranate juice – 0.5 l;
- salt - to taste;
- greens (optional) - to taste.
Preparation
- Peel, chop the onions, mix with herbs if desired, and add some salt.
- Squeeze the juice from the pomegranate and pour it over the prepared onion slices.
- Onions marinated in juice for barbecue will be ready in 4 hours.
How to pickle red onions for barbecue?
You can make it no less original for barbecue. In this case, red wine is used as the base component for the marinade. The drink must be of exceptional quality and aromatic: the taste of the finished snack will entirely depend on this. Preference should be given to dry or semi-dry varieties
Ingredients:
- onions – 500 g;
- red wine – 250 ml;
- salt and granulated sugar - to taste.
Preparation
- Peeled and chopped onions are poured with boiling water for 5-10 minutes, after which the mixture is thrown into a colander and allowed to drain well.
- Add some salt to the onion mass to taste, add a pinch of granulated sugar and pour wine over the seasoned vegetable slices.
- After 4 hours, the onions marinated in wine for the shish kebab will be ready for tasting.
Pickled onions for Caucasian kebab
Pickled onions prepared according to a Caucasian recipe will be especially piquant and aromatic. Natural dry adjika will add characteristic flavor notes to the delicacy, which should be added to the onion slices along with other components of the marinade. After 3.5 hours, the original variation of the barbecue appetizer will be ready, which is complemented with cilantro and pomegranate seeds before serving.
Ingredients:
- onions – 500 g;
- apple cider vinegar – 120 ml;
- water – 150 ml;
- dry adjika – 50-75 g;
- salt and granulated sugar, cilantro and pomegranate seeds - to taste.
Preparation
- Chop the peeled onion and add water heated to a boil.
- After 15 minutes, the liquid is drained and vinegar, adjika and, if desired, salt and sugar are added.
- Pour the spicy marinade over the onion mixture and leave for 3 hours.
- Prepare pomegranate seeds and add to onions.
- Serve onions with pomegranate to the shish kebab, sprinkled with cilantro.
Onions with herbs for barbecue
One of the key components of the marinade in this case is chopped dill, which will refresh the taste of the snack and give it a special taste and aroma. If desired, you can use other herbs of your choice: parsley, cilantro or basil, but in this case the amount of additive should be reduced. The rich taste and aroma of green mass can overwhelm the tasty properties of onions.
Ingredients:
- onions – 2 pcs.;
- vinegar 9% – 4 tbsp. spoons;
- water – 250 ml;
- salt and granulated sugar - 2 tbsp. spoons;
- chopped dill – 2 tbsp. spoons.
Preparation
- Chopped onions are mixed with dill and poured with a marinade of water, salt, sugar and vinegar.
- After 30 minutes of marinating at room conditions, the onions and dill for barbecue will be ready.
How to make onions sweet for barbecue?
Pickled onions for shish kebab, the recipe for which will be presented next, turn out to be moderately spicy, sweet with a pleasant piquant sourness. Ground black pepper and a pinch of finely chopped herbs will add a special aroma and taste to the appetizer. The degree of sweetness can be adjusted by varying the amount of granulated sugar.
Ingredients:
- onions – 300 g;
- vinegar 9% – 7 tbsp. spoon;
- water – 250 ml;
- granulated sugar - 3 tbsp. spoons;
- salt – 0.5 tbsp. spoons;
- ground black pepper and chopped herbs - a pinch each.
Preparation
- Chopped onions are mixed with herbs and a pinch of pepper.
- Dissolve salt and sugar in water, add vinegar and pour the mixture over the onion.
- After 30 minutes, you can try the sweet pickled onions for the kebab.
Onion salad for barbecue
The shish kebab can be served as a salad and served with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs. Vegetables can be mixed with pickled onions and seasoned with oil, or simply placed around the edges of the dish, with a spicy onion salad in the center.
Gourmets prefer to serve hot shish kebab with spicy sauces and crispy pickled onion rings. To prepare delicious pickled onions for barbecue, you only need a few ingredients and 20 minutes of free time.
I suggest preparing pickled onions for barbecue. You can take a portion of this wonderful snack for a picnic if you are going to barbecue. For example, . It turns out very tasty if you add pickled onions to the Olivier salad and vinaigrette. When marinated according to this recipe, the onion loses its bitterness and acquires a piquant taste. Before serving, you can add chopped dill or parsley, as well as pieces of tomatoes, to the pickled onions.
Recipe information
Cooking method: pickling.
Total cooking time: 20 minutes.
Number of servings: 2 .
Ingredients:
- onion – 250 g
marinade:
- water – 170 ml
- bay leaf – 1 pc.
- allspice peas – 5 pcs.
- black peppercorns – 5 pcs.
- cloves – 2 pcs.
- coriander seeds – 0.5 tsp.
- table vinegar – 50 ml.
Cooking method
Bon appetit!
Note to the owner:
- You can pickle red onions for barbecue; they look very beautiful on the table.
- It is better to use apple cider vinegar for this recipe - it is healthier and tastier.
- If you're opposed to vinegar, use citric acid instead (you'll need 1 teaspoon for this recipe). You can also try it with lemon juice.
