Pickled pineapple

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons whole allspice berries
  • 1 teaspoon whole cloves
  • 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
  • 2 Cm knob fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar, or to taste (optional)
  • 1 pineapple

Note

This pickle captures the flavours associated with the reach of the British Empire in the 19th century: ginger and allspice from Jamaica, pepper from India and cloves from Africa or southern India. For a stronger Asian influence, you can add star anise and cassia quills, and dried chilli for an extra kick of heat.

Pickled pineapple offers a stark contrast and much more sophisticated alternative to canned pineapple in savoury dishes. It’s a delicious tangy condiment with a tropical twist for ham, pork, chicken, white-fleshed fish and savoury rice dishes, and the pickling liquid is a great addition to marinades.

For instructions for sterilising glass preserving jars, click here.

Directions

Combine the vinegar with the spices, ginger, salt, sugar (if using) and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to the boil and simmer for a few minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to steep for several hours or overnight.

When you are ready to bottle the pineapple, sterilise two 500 ml preserving jars. Meanwhile, peel and trim the eyes from the pineapple. Cut the fruit in half vertically, then slice the halves horizontally into ½ cm slices. Cut each slice into wedges, removing the core if it is tough.
Measure the vinegar mixture. Ideally you will have 3 cups of pickling solution – top up with boiling water if more liquid is required. Return the solution to the boil and simmer for a minute or two.

Pack the pineapple pieces into the jars –leaving 1cm of space between the surface of the fruit and the top of the jar. Be careful not to crush them. Remove the spices and ginger slices from the pickling solution and divide them equally between the jars. Shake the jars to distribute the spices between the pineapple pieces. Pour the pickling solution over the fruit to the fill line, ensuring that the pieces are covered. (If the liquid does not cover the fruit, boil additional vinegar and water: one part vinegar to a quarter part water.) Seal the jars while the liquid is hot.

The pickled pineapple will be ready to eat in two weeks, and will keep for six months in a cool dark pantry or cupboard. Store in the refrigerator after opening.

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