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Pickled Mustard Seeds with Honey & White Peppercorns

by:
September 22, 2013
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Pickled Mustard Seeds with Honey & White Peppercorns
  • Makes about 1 cup
Author Notes

These bright golden pickled seeds, which burst in your mouth, are a satisfying combination of both spicy and sweet, and serve as an unexpected substitution for traditional golden mustard. Around our home, we like referring to them as our "mustard caviar." —Angela Brown

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup yellow mustard seed
  • 3/4 cup white wine vinegar, plus 1/4 cup
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon whole white peppercorns
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Directions
  1. Thoroughly rinse the mustard seeds in a fine mesh sieve. Add the drained seeds, 3/4 cup of the white wine vinegar, and the salt to a bowl and set aside. Allow the seeds to soak at room temperature for one hour.
  2. Add the honey, turmeric, peppercorns and red pepper flakes to the seed mixture, gently stir and pour into a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium high heat, being sure to stir the bottom and sides of the saucepan regularly, and continue to cook for about 20 minutes.
  3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to cool (the mixture will continue to thicken). Once the seed mixture has returned to room temperature, stir in the remaining white wine vinegar. When stored in an airtight jar and kept refrigerated, the pickled mustard seeds will keep well for about 3 months. * Note: The seeds will continue to absorb liquid while they are refrigerated. In order to avoid a condiment that is too thick, you can periodically stir more white wine vinegar into the jar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, whenever necessary.
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  • Sania
    Sania
  • Angela Brown
    Angela Brown
  • Greenstuff
    Greenstuff
Angela Brown
Angela Brown is a food blogger, freelance writer, and co-owner of the NYC sandwich company, Mayhem & Stout.

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5 Reviews

Sania
Sania September 25, 2013
Thoughts on making this with black mustard seeds?
 
Greenstuff
Greenstuff September 25, 2013
I tried that as soon as I saw the recipe. It wasn't as hot as I'd expected it would be, and unfortunately, it was quite bitter. But easy to make, so I'm going to try it with the yellow mustard seeds.
 
Angela B.
Angela B. September 25, 2013
Hi Sania! To be honest, I've never tried this recipe out using black mustard seeds. However, I'd love to hear any tips from anyone who might experiment using them!
 
Angela B.
Angela B. September 24, 2013
Hi there! I've also come across many recipes that have called for similar boiling and draining techniques. To be completely honest, I tend to be a somewhat impatient cook, and so I've avoided making them that way simply for the sake of time. However, I've always found that giving them a seriously good rinse first (like you might with quinoa, say) and then soaking them in the water, vinegar and salt before the cooking process turns up very good, non-bitter results. Please feel free to let me know if you have any other questions :)
 
Greenstuff
Greenstuff September 24, 2013
Some recipes for pickled mustard seeds call for repeating boiling and draining--as many as eight or even ten times--to remove bitterness. Do you have any insights about that very involved process?