Shake up your charcuterie board with this recipe for Easy 10-minute Ginger Sesame Pickles! They’re so good, you’ll want to put them on everything from sandwiches to pork bowls. In this recipe, English cucumbers and scallions are quick pickled in a light brine that is flavored with ginger, Furikake seasoning and sesame oil. Their texture is slightly crisp and their flavor is bright and bold.
I even caught my husband eating them straight out of the jar the other night as a snack, so the fact you can whip up a batch in just 10 minutes is a real bonus.
Jump to RecipeYuzu Furikake Seasoning. Trust me, you need this in your pantry.
Do you love the salty taste of nori, the earthy, nutty goodness of sesame seeds and the freshness of citrus? If so, you are going to love this Furikake seasoning. And by proxy, this recipe for Easy 10-Minute Ginger Sesame Pickles.
The exact blend of ingredients in Japanese Furikake seasoning can vary widely. However, most contain some measure of white and black sesame seeds, sea weed, and sugar. And some even contain Monosodium Glutamate, (MSG). This flavor enhancing ingredient is widely used in a variety of processed foods, and although MSG is generally thought to be safe, some people are very sensitive to it. I find it gives me headaches, so I personally try to avoid it whenever possible.
For this reason, I prefer to use Japanese Organic Vegan Sprinkling Yuzu Furikake. I first read about this particular blend in a 2018 Bon Appétit feature by Rachel Karten. In this post, she shares how she experimented with the seasoning by putting it on everything from rice to chicken to roasted vegetables. And I love that it is MSG free.
So, what goes with these Easy 10-Minute Ginger Sesame Pickles?
My husband and I have been trying to eat healthier. I’m a food blogger who focuses on baking, so needless to say, that is often easier said than done. But we’ve been married for 30 years and I have it in my head we’ll grow old together, do some traveling, have adventures, so I’m kinda “all in” at this point.
I’m equally dedicated to flavor and texture. Food has to be delicious and satisfying. I’m just not that pious when it comes to food and neither is my husband. I recently placed a Mexican-style power bowl in front of him (a true carnivore) that was topped with a generous helping of Quick and Easy 10-Minute Pickled Onions. He absolutely loved them, so I quickly figured out any pickled vegetable would be something he’d enjoy.
Just like my recipe for pickled onions, I knew I had a winner when I found him eating these Easy 10-Minute Ginger Sesame Pickles straight out of the jar as a snack one night. That got me thinking about how I could get more veggies integrated into our diet daily.
Quick pickling (pickling that usually calls for equal parts water and vinegar and doesn’t require a full canning process) is such a delicious and easy way to enjoy vegetables. A few quick pickled vegetables can really wake up a charcuterie board or sandwich and they are such a lovely snack. If you’d like to learn more about pickling, canning and fermentation, the Spruce Eats has a great post on pickling you may enjoy as well. Check them out!
As for these little sweet and sour beauties, I love them straight out of the jar, on a chicken sandwich or on top of a pork bowl. Delicious!
Easy 10-Minute Ginger Sesame Cucumbers
Course: SidesCuisine: AsianDifficulty: Easy8
servings10
minutes10
minutesOne jar will serve approximately 8 people as a condiment.
Ingredients
1 large English cucumber, sliced thin (approximately 3 cups)
1-2 scallions, sliced on the diagonal (approximately 1/3 cup)
Fresh ginger, peeled and sliced (approximately 1 Tbsp.)
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
3/4 cup white granulated sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. Furikake seasoning
Directions
- Clean and prepare either one 1-quart jar or two 1-pint jars.
- In a small sauce pan, combine the water, vinegar, salt, sugar, ginger and Furikake seasoning and bring to the boil. As soon as the pickling mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and let stand until all the sugar crystals have dissolved – approximately 10 minutes.
- While the pickling mixture is simmering, slice the cucumbers and onions and pack them into the jars. If you are using two smaller jars, divide the cucumbers and onions evenly between the jars.
- When the pickling liquid is done simmering, carefully pour it into the jars until the liquid covers the top of the cucumbers. You may have a little liquid left over and that’s fine. Allow to cool to room temperature uncovered.
- Store covered in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
