Pickled Walnuts Recipe - How to Make Pickled Walnuts | Hank Shaw (2024)

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By Hank Shaw

June 30, 2014 | Updated June 06, 2022

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Pickled Walnuts Recipe - How to Make Pickled Walnuts | Hank Shaw (2)

There may be a few foods that are more English than pickled walnuts, but with the possible exception of fish and chips, I can’t think of one. Chances are, however, you’ve never heard of them. I hadn’t, until several years ago when I ordered the meat-and-cheese plate at alocal Irish place called deVere’s.

On this place was a black disk. I asked the waitress what on earth it was, and she smiled; she’d had this question before: “It’s a pickled walnut. It’s good with the cheddar.”

I followed her advice and stabbed the disk with my fork, adding a bit of cheddar cheese and a bit of cold roast beef to round things out. Wow. It was a bit like eating solid steak sauce, with a little floral aroma and a zephyr of bitterness that just barely let you notice it.

I ate another disk all by itself: Fairly soft, puckery and strangely floral. And yes, there was definitely a Worcestershire-Heinz 57-A1-thing going on here. How had I never had these before?

Turns out that very, very few people outside of Britain eat them. This should change, which is why I am presenting you with this recipe. And the reason I am posting this now is because you need to get out and get your walnuts now. That’s right, you need green, unripe walnuts to make pickles. And yes, you use the whole thing, hull and all.

Pickled Walnuts Recipe - How to Make Pickled Walnuts | Hank Shaw (3)

I got mine a few weeks ago, after an unsuccessful fishing trip with my friend Joe. We were in the Delta and as we were driving out, I noticed a NorCal black walnut (Juglans hindsii) absolutely laden down with nuts. “Pull over!” Joe, used to this by now, did. I gathered about 150 nuts in less than 15 minutes. It was a bonanza.

I knew I was in business right when I got to the tree, but just to be sure I pulled out my pocketknife and sliced an unripe nut in half. You need to do this, either with a knife or a stout needle or a long nail, because you have to catch the unripe walnuts before the shell forms. Once that shell forms inside the walnut’s hull, you’re too late; the traditional harvest date in England is late June.

The process for pickled walnuts is not hard at all, but it takes more than a week. You need to brine the green walnuts for a good long time before they will be ready to pickle properly. The brine time helps with preservation and removes some of the bitterness in the unripe walnuts. Once brine pickled, they are pretty durable.

Do you need to sun-blacken the walnuts? No, but doing so gives you a nice, uniform look to them. Otherwise they will be olive green in some places, blotchy black in others.

Pickled Walnuts Recipe - How to Make Pickled Walnuts | Hank Shaw (4)

Once you have your pickled walnuts, what do you do with them? Look to the English. Traditionally they are part of a ploughman’s lunch, with other pickles, cheese and cold meats. But I see them a lot tossed into beef or lamb stews (pot pies and pasties, too!) in wintertime, and in summertime I’ve seen them served in cool salads alongside tomatoes, and accompanying shellfish such as scallops or shrimp.

4.88 from 25 votes

Pickled Walnuts

Any walnuts will work with this recipe, from tiny native Arizona walnuts to big, fat English walnuts, which are the kind you buy in stores. But you do need them hull and all, so this only works if you have a tree nearby. The pickling liquid in my recipe is very traditional; you'll see variations on it throughout England. I've also made a Chinese-inspired version with Sichuan peppercorns and star anise replacing the allspice. This recipe makes about 3 quarts.

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: British

Servings: 25

Author: Hank Shaw

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Ingredients

  • About 50 to 60 green, unripe walnuts
  • 1/2 cup kosher salt
  • 1/2 gallon water
  • 2 quarts cider or malt vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cracked allspice berries
  • 1 ounce ginger, about 1 1/2-inch pieces, smashed
  • 1 cup brown sugar

Instructions

  • Dissolve the salt in the water to make a brine. Put on some rubber gloves if you have them, because walnut juice will stain your hands for weeks -- and it won't come off. Trust me on this one. Properly gloved, stab each walnut with a fork in several places; this helps the brine penetrate. Submerge the walnuts in the brine and let them ferment for 8 days at room temperature.

  • Remove the walnuts and put them on a baking sheet and leave them outside in the sun for a day, until they turn uniformly black. You can do this step without gloves if you want.

  • Pack the walnuts into quart jars. Bring the remaining ingredients to a boil and pour over the walnuts. Leave very little headspace in the jars. Seal and keep in a cool place, either the fridge or a basem*nt -- you just want them to rest below 70°F -- for at least a month before you eat them. Kept this way they will last a year.

Notes

Note that prep time does not include fermenting time.

Nutrition

Calories: 49kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2272mg | Potassium: 24mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

Categorized as:
Appetizers and Snacks, British, Featured, Foraging, Preservation Recipes, Recipe

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Read More About Me

Pickled Walnuts Recipe - How to Make Pickled Walnuts | Hank Shaw (2024)

FAQs

Pickled Walnuts Recipe - How to Make Pickled Walnuts | Hank Shaw? ›

Submerge the walnuts in the brine and let them ferment for 8 days at room temperature. Remove the walnuts and put them on a baking sheet and leave them outside in the sun for a day, until they turn uniformly black. You can do this step without gloves if you want. Pack the walnuts into quart jars.

Why are pickled walnuts black? ›

Soaking the walnuts in brine causes a chemical reaction to take place and the walnuts turn dark brown to black in colour when exposed to sunlight. The now-black walnuts are then placed into jars and a pickling solution poured over them.

Are pickled walnuts good for you? ›

They are a good source of fiber and magnesium, as well as vitamin E. Pickling walnuts will ensure that you receive all of these health benefits no matter what time of year, along with probiotics which are great for gut health.

Can you pick walnuts green? ›

Walnuts that are still green on the outside are okay to pick, but require more work to get to the nut meat. Crack open a few nuts to see if the husk peels away easily from the nut but be careful as the ink inside stains very quickly and is hard to get rid of.

Are pickled walnuts soft? ›

Pickled walnuts can be bought in the supermarkets, but it's straightforward to make your own. Once the walnuts are fully pickled they will be very soft and can be sliced or used whole.

Are black walnuts safe for humans to eat? ›

Doctors generally consider black walnuts safe when people eat them in small amounts or take them as a supplement on a short-term basis.

Can you eat walnuts that have turned black? ›

Also noticed some of them are slightly open. In my experience, walnuts get progressively more bitter as they darken, and black ones are inedible due to poor taste. I haven't noticed any ill effects from consuming slightly darker ones though (not moldy ones of course).

How many walnuts can you safely eat a day? ›

A 2021 article on the effect of walnut consumption found that consuming 30–60 grams of walnuts daily is beneficial for heart health. 30–60 grams is the same as 1–2 ounces or a 1/4–1/2 cup of walnuts.

Can you eat too many pickled? ›

As a result, eating too many pickles may be risky for anyone with liver disease or kidney conditions. Diets high in sodium may increase your risk of gastric cancer. High salt intake may damage your stomach directly, leading to cancer, or it may lead to infections and ulcers that eventually become cancerous.

What do you eat pickled walnuts with? ›

My top five suggestions for how to use Opies Pickled Walnuts are a mix of old and new. Put them on your cheeseboard. They pair particularly well with blue cheese – Roquefort, Cashel blue and Stilton are my favourite cheeses to eat with Opies Pickled Walnuts. Enjoy them in stuffing.

What can you do with fallen walnuts? ›

Nuts can then be dried by spreading them in no more than three layers deep in a cool, dry place. A garage or tool shed will work. After about two weeks, the nuts should be dried and ready to enjoy by themselves or in your favorite fall dish.

Should you pick walnuts or let them fall? ›

Depending on when you pick your walnuts (September through to October here in Provence) you'll find the husks surrounding the shells either green or dried out and black/ brown. It's best to pick up the walnuts as quickly as they fall to discourage mold growth.

Can I eat walnuts from my backyard? ›

Wondering if you can eat a black walnut from a tree in your yard or foraged from the woods? The answer is yes, but first you need to know how to harvest black walnuts and crack their tough shells. Use these simple harvesting tips so you can enjoy these native nuts as a snack or as a flavorful addition to baked goods.

Who eats pickled walnuts? ›

Pickled walnuts (from English walnut, Juglans regia) are a traditional British delicacy.

Why do my walnuts taste sour? ›

Nuts with higher fat content, like walnuts and pecans can also go rancid after a few months if stored at too warm a temperature. If you notice that your nuts have taken on a noticeably bitter, sour flavor, they may have entered this unfortunate phase.

What happens if we eat walnuts without soaking? ›

Walnuts should be soaked because doing so makes them easier for the body to digest than eating them raw. The phytic acid found in nuts, which is reduced by soaking walnuts, contributes to increased absorption as well. Raw walnut digestion may be more difficult for those with weak gut.

What makes black walnuts black? ›

Even with a black shell, walnuts remain edible. The dark color of the nutshells is caused by the walnut fruit fly Rhagoletis completa cresson. The infestation does not affect the tree or the quality of the nut kernels, however, since the larvae of the insect only target the originally green pulp coating of the nuts.

What is the difference between black walnuts and regular walnuts? ›

The most notable difference between the two is their flavor profiles. Black walnuts have a bold flavor while English walnuts have a much milder flavor. Another key distinction between the two is their nutrient profiles.

Why are some walnut meats black? ›

One of the more common causes of the shriveled nut meats could be a fungus disease called anthracnose. This disease mostly affects the leaves of walnut and many other tree species, especially in years with wet springs. However, it can also cause the nutmeats to become dark and shriveled.

Is there a difference between black walnuts and English walnuts? ›

Well, the Black Walnut was in fact part of many native American diets but most of the walnuts we eat today are actually English walnuts, which have a milder taste and broader appeal. They also have thinner, easier-to-crack shells. Black Walnuts on the other hand have a bolder, earthier flavor.

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