Cocktail Carrots are easy to make and take only a couple hours to pickle in the fridge. Make them earlier in the day and you have an instant appetizer to offer your guests while dinner cooks. Or use them to garnish your brunch Bloody Mary.
By Maya Parson
Cocktail Carrots are easy to make and take only a couple hours to pickle in the fridge. Make them earlier in the day and you have an instant appetizer to offer your guests while dinner cooks. 
I used to eat at a place that served a little dish of Moroccan spiced carrots alongside its sandwiches. The sandwiches were excellent, but I would have eaten there for the coriander and cumin flavored carrots alone.
I started pickling my own carrots with those spiced carrots in mind. One day I accidentally dumped caraway instead of cumin seeds into the brine. It was a happy accident—the pickles were delicious.
It was also a good lesson: carrots are like the little black dress of the vegetable world. They can be basic and uninspired, but with the right “accessories,” they are smashing.
I make these carrots regularly with garlic, oregano and hot chilies, but I also love them with cumin, caraway, or fennel. You can mix up the spices however you like. (I’ve offered several variations below.) Crunchy, spicy, and a little bit sweet, they are terrific for serving with cocktails or beer, or for garnishing a Bloody Mary.
PrintPickled Cocktail Carrots
Description
Make pickled carrots earlier in the day and you have an instant appetizer for your guests while dinner cooks, or use them to garnish a Bloody Mary.
Ingredients
- 1 cupWater
- 3/4 cupWhite Vinegar
- 2 TbspSugar
- 1 tspkosher salt
- 5 Carrots (cut into 4-inch lengths to fill jar)
- 1 clvgarlic, whole
- 1 tspHot Red Peppers (sliced)
- 1/4 tspcumin seed, whole
Instructions
- To make brine, bring water, vinegar, sugar and salt to a simmer. Remove from heat. Place seasoning and carrots into jar.
- Cover with hot brine. Cover and let cool at room temperature for about an hour, then refrigerate. Pickles must soak in brine at least 2 hours and preferably about 4-5 before eating. They will become more strongly flavored (and softer) the longer they soak. When you’ve eaten them all (it will happen faster than you think!), save the brine and reuse it for another batch!
- Category: Side
