Pickled Mustard Seeds
Cooking down whole yellow mustard seeds in seasoned vinegar simultaneously plumps them up and tames their intense burn, for a condiment or garnish that's sweet, briny, and mildly hot.
Ingredients
- For the Brine:
- 175ml white wine vinegar
- 125ml cider vinegar
- 150ml water
- 50ml rye whiskey
- 2 bay leaves
- 150g brown sugar
- 10g kosher salt
- For the Seeds:
- 200g yellow mustard seeds
Directions
- For the Brine: Combine white wine vinegar, cider vinegar, water, whiskey, bay leaves, brown sugar, and salt in a small saucepan. Set aside, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved.
- For the Seeds: Meanwhile, place seeds in a clean saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then drain through a fine-mesh strainer and discard the water. Repeat until the discarded water does not taste bitter. This can take between 1 and 8 repetitions.
- Transfer blanched and drained mustard seeds to the pot with the brine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a bare simmer and cook until the seeds have plumped up and the liquid has reduced by about one-third, 15 to 20 minutes. Without draining brine, transfer seeds to a sealable container, let cool at room temperature, then seal and refrigerate until ready to use. The seeds will mature in flavor over the course of a few days.