The Best Ways To Let Pickled Garlic's Tangy Flavor Shine

With people's love for pickles surging across social media, more and more vegetables are hitting the pickling spotlight. One perennially underrated candidate is garlic. Preserved in a vinegar solution, the allium lets go of its more bracing side while still offering a hefty dose of flavor. As a result, this opens the door to many creative uses.

When chopped, the condiment adds a mouthwatering brightness to salads, inspiring a tanginess that melds well with dark leafy greens. Alternatively, pulverize the garlic and use some of the brine to craft a vibrant vinaigrette. And you can even use the ingredient to contrast the flavors of cured cuts and cheese, helping design the ultimate charcuterie board. 

Plus, the condiment is surprisingly delicious in cooked applications, melding into everything from a plate of sautéed vegetables to a salad dressing and even a pizza topping. And with some creativity, you can even utilize both the clove and the brine in a drink — it might just make the best Bloody Mary you've ever tasted. So procure a batch of the pickled vegetable; it'll shine in a wide range of dishes.

To pin down how to best use the condiment, it's helpful to know how the pickling process works and alters the bulb. In addition to inflecting the expected tanginess, the flavor turns a tad sweet, and also a bit spicy. So as opposed to the predominantly salty-sweet notes of a cucumber-based pickle, pickled garlic brings a more complex combination of flavors. Then, there's also the texture: Pickling softens garlic's consistency, lending it more of a chew and less of a crunch.

Such a delicious transformation is frequently employed in international cuisine, with distinct touches. Garlic vinegar is a frequent tableside condiment in Northern Vietnam, where it's paired with chilies to finish off noodle bowls. And fresh garlic is pickled alongside soy sauce in Korea, where it's served as a side dish. Meanwhile, Chinese pickled garlic doubles down on the sweetness and extends the pickling time.

Outside of such culinary contexts, there are also modern, creative applications of the allium's unique flavor. While raw applications best showcase the full range of pickled garlic's tasting notes, keep in mind you can still apply heat to the ingredient, too. Whether you're roasting it in the oven or sauteing it in a pan, the condiment still achieves caramelization, but with a pickled twist. So feel free to experiment with the fragrant aromatic; you'll be pleasantly surprised by its multifaceted result.