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Growing up in a Hispanic household, avocado is a mealtime staple.  My mother would often give us sliced avocado with lime and salt to go with our meals.  Now that I am an adult, eating avocado without an acidic component never tastes quite right to me.  The rich fattiness of this fruit just begs for that refreshing zing.  That is why, when someone introduced me to avocado pickles, I was sold.

These are best made with Hass avocados.  I have tried them with other kinds, but the watery Florida avocados lacked the creamy fattiness required to cut through the acidic brine.  Make sure that you’re also using slightly firm avocados to make your avocado pickles, or they might break apart in the brine.

To make the brine, heat all of your ingredients (except the avocado) in a small saucepan.  If you want your pickles to have more of a kick, you can open your chiles up to let out the seeds.  Otherwise, leave them whole.  Once it starts to simmer and all of the salt and sugar (if using) has dissolved, remove it from the heat and let it cool down.

While your brine is heating, prep your avocados.  I cut these in slices, but sometimes I also do them in chunks.  Put the sliced or chopped avocado in a glass jar of your choice.  I find that two average-sized Hass avocados fit in one 16oz mason jar.

After the brine has cooled enough, gently pour it over the avocados in the jars.  Fill it just enough so that the liquid reaches almost to the top of the jar when you put the lid on, but doesn’t spill out.  Remember that if your avocados are poking up out of the jar a little, they will push the brine level up when you press the lid down.  So, plan accordingly to avoid a mess.

You’ll want to refrigerate the avocado pickles for at least an hour, but they will keep for up to a month in the refrigerator.  I find that I like them best after they sit for a few days.

Avocado Pickles

Ingredients

• 4 firm Hass avocados, sliced or chopped
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp pickling salt (or kosher salt)
• 2 tsp sugar (you can omit or substitute with your sweetener of choice)
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 2 dried chile de arbols

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine all of the ingredients except for the avocado.  Bring to a simmer, allowing the salt and sugar to dissolve, then remove from heat and allow to cool.

Place the avocado pieces in 2 16oz mason jars (or 1 32oz jar), then pour the cooled brine over the avocado.  Seal, then refrigerate for one hour or until ready to consume.