Pickled Avocado Recipe

Cucumbers aren't the only green produce you should be pickling.

Chances are you spend good money on avocados, so make them last longer by pickling them. It's the best use for when you have unripe avocados and little patience for a brown paper bag incubator to do its thing. Those are the ones you actually want here—save the ripe ones for mashing onto toast—and it takes only a couple of hours for them to go from softball-level hardness to more manageable beach ball softness. Bonus: The vinegar helps keep them from turning brown, no lemon juice required.

We've got three recipes to get you started, plus ideas for how to use each one. Some general rules: To make pickled avocado, start by adding the brine ingredients in a small saucepan and bringing them to a boil. Once the sugar or honey dissolves, let the mixture cool to room temperature, then pour it over your avocado in a small jar and let it sit for two hours before using.

Just don't forget to save your brine after you're done making the pickles.

① ½ c apple cider vinegar + ½ c water + ¼ c honey + 1 tsp whole allspice + 1 tbsp salt

Consider this one your pickled avocado training wheels. It's a bit sweeter than other mixes, thanks to the apple cider vinegar and honey, making it good for adding just-subtle-enough tang to chopped salads and salsas.

② ½ c white vinegar + ½ c water + ¼ c sugar + 2 dill sprigs + 1 bay leaf + 1 tsp mustard seeds + 1 tbsp salt

Put dill-pickled slices on a sandwich for an avocado fix that has bite instead of smushing into oblivion. Even better: Put them on sandwich bread that's infused throughout with briny pickle juice.

③ ½ c rice vinegar + ½ c water + ¼ c sugar + 1 tsp whole peppercorns + 2 to 3 whole dried chiles + 1 tbsp salt

Frilly toothpicks are a must for this cocktail hour passed app, which has heat from the peppers and mild sweetness from the rice vinegar. Cut the avocado into cubes rather than slices and plate them with a bowl of crackers for a new party trick.