Seriously- who has ever heard of such a thing. PICKLED peanuts? I first saw this on Pinterest and became fascinated with the idea. Google became my friend for an afternoon while I researched recipes, of which there are not a lot of. At first I wasn’t sure this even sounded tasty- it just sounded interesting. I love love love pickled veggies so why not peanuts?
I only found two recipes online- one from Southern Vegan Food and another from A Chef’s Life. First off, let me just say that I love the website Southern Vegan Food– southern food is usually BBQ ribs and pulled pork so I love the idea of making food of the south Vegan. Secondly, A Chefs Life is a TV show on the PBS network Chad and I love to watch.
Both recipes were different, yet similar so I picked the best parts of both and made it into one recipe. I loved the cloves and the oranges together in the marinade with the ginger and garlic.
I personally just loved to eat these right out of the jar as a snack but these are also a great topping for a salad. I posted this not to long ago in a What I Ate Wednesday post and I have made them many times since. I have used them on kale salad, in stir-fry dishes and even mixed them with pickled veggies. They were so good that I felt they deserved their own
The only bad part of the recipe is THE WAIT. The peanuts need a good 30 minutes on the stove but then another 24 hours in the fridge to soften and absorb all the marinade flavor. Torture.
- 1 lb raw peanuts, shelled
- 1 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- rind from 1 lemon
- rind from 1/2 orange
- 3 star anise
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp hot sauce
- 1/4 cup filtered water
- Combine all ingredients except the peanuts and bring to a boil in a large pot over the stove.
- Add the peanuts and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Allow the peanuts to cool and transfer into an airtight container.
- Store peanuts in the fridge up to 24 hours for the flavors to blend.
WOW, very interesting sounding. I may have to try this 🙂
Green peanuts or dried raw peanuts?
Hi John-
I used dry raw but you could use green peanuts as well. Both will work well with the brine.