Admittedly, not the first thing to come to mind when thinking of pickled foods, so if you have never tried pickled walnuts, give this pickled walnut recipe a go. Pickled green walnuts are an English pickle dating back to the 18th century. I still remember trying them for the first time in a posh English hotel I once worked in and loving the taste. I am Indian and love my pickles and sour things, and this took me back to my childhood days when I would eat dried date pickles, which in India we call chuara churan.
This pickled walnuts recipe is easy to follow. Traditionally pickled walnuts are eaten with sharp cheddar, or with roasts and game; however, I find them equally delicious on toast with vegan cheese, in pies, pasties and even in my burgers.
Pickled green walnuts are sour/tangy, like solid Worcestershire sauce. It's probably England's best-kept secret!
Continuing the pickling theme, check out my quick and easy method for pickled red onions and pickled green wild plums.
How Do I Identify A Walnut Tree?
A mature walnut tree can grow up to 35m high. They have a short trunk with a broad, expansive canopy.
A common way to identify a tree is by its leaves. Each leaf of the walnut tree has between five and nine leaflets. The leaflets are shaped like a feather and paired along the leaf stem. A single leaflet terminates the stem. Crushed walnut leaves have a distinct, citrus-like smell.
We want to harvest the fruit for pickled walnuts before the hard nut shell starts to form. Late June, Early July is the time for this. In autumn, the nut case opens and exposes the walnut, which falls to the ground.
You can see if you have caught them before the nutshell hardens by cutting through one of them. If you can cut it in half, it is suitable for pickling, and you can carry on gathering the unripe walnuts.
Of course, you can enjoy the walnuts when they have fully matured. The nuts themselves will be ready to harvest around October.
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Ingredients For Pickled Walnuts
- Unripe green walnuts
- Coarse sea salt
- Malt vinegar
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
First, find a walnut tree to harvest the unripe, green walnuts. Do this in late June or early July.
Wash and pat dry the walnuts.
With a fork, stab the walnuts all over.
Add the water and coarse sea salt to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once the salt has dissolved, please remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool.
Tightly pack the pricked walnuts into a sterilised jar. Pack tight enough so that the walnuts do not float in the brine.
Pour the brine (salt water) into the jar to cover all walnuts completely. Secure the jar lid and store it in a cool, dark place for eight days.
After eight days, drain the brine-soaked walnuts and place them on a tray. Put the walnuts outside in the sun all day. Turn them from time to time, so they darken evenly.
After a day in the sun, the brine-soaked walnuts will have darkened in colour.
In a saucepan, add the malt vinegar and castor sugar. Bring to a boil. Once the sugar has dissolved, set it aside to cool. Tightly pack the darkened walnuts into a sterilised jar and pour in this pickling liquor once it has cooled down.
Seal the jar and place it in a cool, dark place for one month. Label the jar so that you know when the pickled walnuts are ready.
How-To Video
Here is a video guide to making the pickled walnuts recipe.
Substitutions
This pickled walnuts recipe uses malt vinegar specifically for the earthy flavour it gives; however, you can replace it with cider vinegar.
Variations
This recipe for pickling walnuts is simple. However, you can add another layer of flavour by adding a choice of spices to the pickling liquor. Perhaps try black pepper or allspice and even ginger.
Equipment
You will need a large glass jar for pickling. The jar size will depend on how large the walnuts are and how many you would like to pickle.
Storage
If you have adequately sterilised the jar, the pickles should be good for up to a year. To sterilise a jar, wash in warm soapy water and then place in an oven at 100ยบC for thirty minutes. Make sure you use a clean, dry spoon each time you take out the pickled walnuts.
Top tip
The brine and pickling liquid measurement in the recipe card is based on the size of my jar and walnuts. The best way to judge exactly how much of each you need is to pack the walnuts in your selected jar and add water before you start. The amount of water you pour in is the amount of brine and pickling liquid you will need for the recipe proper.
Wear gloves and old clothes when picking and processing the green walnuts! The outer green husk of unripe walnuts contains a chemical that causes dark brown or back stains that takes a while to remove from the skin or clothes.
๐ Recipe
Pickled Walnuts
Equipment
- 500 or 750 ml Jam jar or similar
Ingredients
- 10 Green Walnuts
- 2 teaspoon Coarse sea salt
- 25 gms Castor sugar
- 250 ml Malt vinegar
- 300 ml Water
Instructions
- Wash and pat dry the walnuts. Using a fork, prick the walnuts all over.
- In a pot or pan, add the water and the salt and bring to a boil. Once it boils and the salt has dissolved, immediately turn off the heat and set aside to cool.
- In a sterilised jar, pack the walnuts tightly (tight enough so they don't float up when adding the brine.)
- Pour the cooled-down brine (salt-water) into the jar with the walnuts and seal tight. Leave the jar in a cool dark place for eight days.
- After eight days, drain the brine. Place the walnuts onto a flat plate or tray, and leave them in the sun for a whole day. Turn the walnuts from time to time, so that they darken evenly. At the end of the day you will see that the walnuts have turned black.
- Pour the malt vinegar and castor sugar into a pan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat once the sugar has dissolved and set it aside to cool.
- Once again, pack the walnuts into a sterilised jar tightly.
- Pour the cooled-down pickling liquor into the jar with the walnuts and seal the jar shut. Set aside in a cool dark place (under 21ยบC) for a month.
- After a month, the pickled walnuts are ready to use as desired.
Food safety
- Wash your hands regularly while preparing, handling and cooking food.
- Wipe down countertops and high-contact points regularly.
- If you cook meat and fish, do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat. Use separate chopping boards for meat and fish. Wash your chopping boards immediately after use.
- Thoroughly cook food to a minimum temperature of 165 ยฐF (74 ยฐC).
- Don't leave food at room temperature for extended periods (more than 2 hours).
- Store food correctly.
Bill says
Will this still work even if I've cut the walnuts in half rather than pricked them?
Chef Tripti says
I wouldnt recommend using the walnuts that have been cut in half. When you cut the walnuts in half they release this sticky stuff and that's why I don't cut them before pickling. You can try it, however am unable to say how it will turn out and if the taste or texture will differ. Another thing is that they would become too soft after the pickling process and may disintegrate.
I hope this helps.
Sandra says
Can you use balsamic vinegar? Would I still need the sugar?
Chef Tripti says
Hello Sandra
I haven't tried pickling walnuts with balsamic vinegar yet, however I think it would work. It is sweet like malt vinegar, however, the flavour will change a bit. You would need the sugar, as salt, sugar and vinegar are the basic pickling process.
All the very best.Let me know how it goes.
Dawn Thomson says
Mine have been in a jar for a month now but they are still hard. What do I do?
Chef Tripti says
Hello Dawn,
Usually they are ready to eat after about one and half months. When you cut it with a knife what happens? is it like firm or hard to cut through? if its firm, I would just give it a bit longer, but if its hard, then it seems the walnuts had started forming a shell when you picked them.
Tripti
Elizabeth Farrer says
Might I suggest that in the tips section you could suggest wearing gloves and not to wear a white t-shirt. I ruined a perfectly good t-shirt and my hands have been stained dark brown for three days now. Who would have thought a light green fruit could give of so much indelible brown dye when stabbed viciously with a fork!
Chef Tripti says
I apologise for the lack of warning regarding staining! I shall update the post with a warning. I hope you enjoy the pickled walnuts.
Regards
Tripti
Josephine says
I really like pickled walnuts and super pleased to come across your recipe. Do you know of any areas in London that have walnuts just growing?
My question is, can you just do a salt brine with these rather than vinegar? When I buy them I drain the vinegar and add salt brine back in because the malt flavour is so strong, too strong for me. Just curious if you think that might work?
Love your site, thanks so much
Chef Tripti says
Hello there!
I have seen walnut trees in London, mostly in parks and sometimes by the road as well. Once you see one, you will see them everywhere.Vinegar is essential to pickle the walnuts, if you don't like malt vinegar, you could try apple cider vinegar. I haven't tried it, but there is no reason it shouldn't work. It's a bit late this year, but do let me know if you try it next year.
Best wishes
Tripti