How To Pickle Ginger That's Sushi Restaurant-Worthy

When you're stacking it onto your sushi roll, pickled ginger (or gari) looks really quite simple. But the minute you try to make some at home yourself, you'll realize it takes a lot more technique than you had thought. Before you even get to slicing it, the first decision actually happens in the grocery store. Young ginger is the classic choice for sushi restaurants because of how tender it is, but because of its short season, tracking some down can turn into a bit of a treasure hunt.

The smart way to shop for ginger, if you want to keep it traditional, will probably require visiting an international market in the early fall or springtime, which is why very often home cooks end up pickling mature ginger instead. Mature ginger roots are those golden and knobby ones that can be found year-round at pretty much any store, and although they have a stronger taste than young ginger, you can bring down the punch with the right methods.

To prepare the ginger for pickling, peel the skin and thinly slice the root with a mandoline or a very sharp knife. Toss it in kosher salt for 30 minutes to help pull out some extra moisture from the root and soften it up, which makes it ready to absorb the brine. Once it's in the vinegar brine, the transformation begins, turning this incredible spicy root into something aromatic and bright, taking only 48 hours for the magic to happen.

You'll want to pickle your ginger in a nice, clean brine using rice vinegar, water, and just enough sugar to make the ginger delicious without turning it into pure candy. Like any pickling job, making sure your slices are fully submerged is key, just as much as putting it in a well-sealed jar to do its thing. Once you have a gorgeous jar of fresh pickled ginger, there are many ways to use it beyond sushi night. 

A little pile of fresh ginger on top of a noodle dish will add brightness, and a few slices in a sandwich can really make waves. Try sushi ginger in a tuna sandwich for a sharp contrast to the fish. And if just the mere mention of pickled ginger has you craving sushi, try not to go overboard with other condiments on sushi — keep it simple with some soy sauce, wasabi, and pickled ginger. The ginger is there to refresh your palate, not dominate the other flavors.

Once you understand the differences between young and mature ginger, how salt softens the flesh first, and the importance of a good quality pickling brine, then you're well on your way to turning pickled ginger into a staple in your weekly meal prep rotation. It's all about the technique. With these skills in mind, pickled ginger is the kind of ingredient that quietly transforms everything you put it on.