This super simple pickling liquid transforms simple zucchini ribbons into the most gorgeous pickled courgette that offers the perfect sharp crunchy element to any dish!
I love to serve pickled courgette with my Smoked Trout Pate, which you can see in the photo above.
Having an easy, solid pickling liquid recipe in your arsenal means you’ll never be short a sharp component to balance out other flavours. I’m not a huge fan of cucumber (it’s a thing, ok), so I went for the next best thing – courgette (or zucchini, if you’re from the US).
Ingredients for Pickled Courgette
Courgette (Zucchini) – or anything else you fancy pickling in all honesty
White Vinegar
My favourite white vinegar at the moment is Mazzeti’s Bianco Speciale White Condiment.
Brown Sugar – if you’d prefer not to have the slight brown tinge to the pickling liquid then substitute this for straight up granulated sugar
Salt
Optional additions: mustard seeds, peppercorns, fennel seeds etc. – all will add their own flavour to the pickling liquid)
Method for Pickled Courgette
Add sugar and salt into a pot then pour in vinegar. Bring to the boil (until sugar dissolves), then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes.
Whilst the pickling liquid is cooking, use a vegetable peeler to thinly slice the courgette into thin ribbons. Discard the inner (seeded) section once you’ve peeled all the way around.
Place the courgette ribbons into a glass jar, then pour over the pickling liquid to marinate.
Storage
Once made, the pickled courgettes should be kept stored in the fridge (below 4 degrees celsius / 39 degrees fahrenheit). They can be ready to eat within a couple of hours, because we’ve shaved the courgette ribbons really thin using the peeler.
Pickled Courgette will last up to 4-8 weeks, albeit they’ll start to soften as time goes on.
These refrigerator pickles can be used in a wide variety of things; hot smoked salmon sandwich (with beetroot creme fraiche, pea puree and pickled courgette with watercress) or my Smoked Trout Pate – both pictured below.
These courgette pickles are a quick, easy option to make when you need a pickled element quickly to balance out a dish. Think of the time you see Masterchef contestants whipping up a pickling liquid during a 1 hour timed cook!
Long-life pickled, usually either canned or jarred for long-life (that last up to 2 years) would require a different method. You can find an example of this in this blog post from The Homesteading Family.
Pickled Courgette
Ingredients
- 1 courgette
- 200 ml white vinegar
- 4 tbsp soft brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Add 4 tbsp soft brown sugar and 1 tsp salt into a pot
- Pour 200 ml white vinegar in with the salt and sugar then bring to the boil (until sugar dissolves), then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes
- Whilst the pickling liquid is cooking, use a vegetable peeler to thinly slice the 1 courgette into thin ribbons
- Place the courgette ribbons into a glass jar, then pour over the pickling liquid to marinate
