Pickle Slippery Jacks: Four Proven Recipes

Slippery jacks seem made for home canning. With a little effort, you’ll get an excellent winter appetizer that suits both a festive table and a modest everyday meal. Simplicity and speed, combined with a rich flavor, make slippery jacks favorites for culinary experiments. Here are four easy recipes.

Recipe one. Classic

For winter pickling, it’s best to use small mushrooms of roughly the same size. Before cooking, clean off debris and sort them. The classic method for pickling slippery jacks has two stages: first boil in water, then boil in the marinade. It’s simple. Let’s begin.

Ingredients:

• slippery jacks — 1 kg.

For the marinade:

• water — 1 L;

• 9% table vinegar — 50 ml;

• salt — 1 tbsp;

• sugar — tsp;

• allspice berries — 2;

• black peppercorns — 2;

• bay leaf — 2;

• clove — 1.

Method:

1. Transfer the mushrooms to a pot. Cover with cold water and place over heat. Boil the slippery jacks for 15–20 minutes, skimming off the foam. Drain in a colander.

2. For the marinade, pour water into a pot and add salt, sugar, and all spices except the vinegar. Bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes.

3. Add the mushrooms to the marinade and simmer for another 15 minutes.

4. Pour in the vinegar and immediately turn off the heat.

5. Divide the mushrooms with the marinade among sterilized jars and seal. Invert and let cool.

Recipe two. With onion

Pickled slippery jacks with onion come out flavorful, with piquant spice notes and the aroma of bulb onion. In winter, a jar of these mushrooms is a perfect match for boiled potatoes with butter and sliced onion.

Ingredients:

• slippery jacks — 1 kg;

• onion (red) — 1.

For the marinade:

• water — 1 L;

• salt — 1 tbsp;

• sugar — 1 tsp;

• coriander seeds (whole) — 4 g;

• allspice berries — 2;

• black peppercorns — 2;

• 9% table vinegar — 50 ml.

Method:

1. Transfer the mushrooms to a pot. Cover with cold water and place over heat. Boil the slippery jacks for 15–20 minutes, skimming off the foam. Drain in a colander.

2. For the marinade, pour water into a pot and add salt, sugar, and all spices. Cut the red onion into quarters or half-rings and add it to the pot with the marinade. Set over heat and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for another 5 minutes.

3. Transfer the slippery jacks to the pot with the boiling marinade. Stir and cook for 20 minutes, removing any foam.

4. At the end of cooking, pour in the vinegar and immediately turn off the heat.

5. Distribute the mushrooms with the marinade into jars and seal. Invert and let cool.

Recipe three. Spicy slippery jacks

Prefer food with more heat? Then be sure to make pickled slippery jacks with garlic. The appetizer will be piquant. For gourmets, you can place a piece of hot chili in the jar before sealing. The mushrooms can also be used for salads.

Ingredients:

• slippery jacks — 1 kg.

For the marinade:

• water — 1 L;

• garlic head — 1;

• sugar — 1 tbsp;

• salt — 1 tsp;

• bay leaf — 2;

• allspice berries — 2;

• black peppercorns — 2;

• 9% table vinegar — 50 ml.

Method

1. Transfer the mushrooms to a pot. Cover with cold water and place over heat. Boil the slippery jacks for 15–20 minutes, skimming off the foam. Drain in a colander.

2. Chop the garlic, leaving a few cloves whole.

3. For the marinade, pour water into a pot and add the chopped garlic, sugar, salt, and spices. Bring the marinade to a boil, add the mushrooms, and cook for another 15 minutes. Add the vinegar, mix well, and turn off the heat.

4. Transfer the slippery jacks with the marinade into prepared jars, place a whole garlic clove on top, and seal.

Recipe four. With mustard

Pickled slippery jacks with mustard have a pleasant sharp–salty flavor. If you’re concerned the mushrooms will be too spicy, reduce the mustard powder to 1–2 tablespoons. You can add a little grainy mustard, which will make the appetizer even more interesting.

Ingredients:

• slippery jacks — 1 kg.

For the marinade:

• salt — 2 tbsp;

• sugar — 1 tsp;

• peppercorns — 4;

• bay leaf — 2;

• mustard powder — 3 tbsp;

• table vinegar — 50 ml;

• garlic — to taste.

Method:

1. Transfer the mushrooms to a pot. Cover with cold water and place over heat. Boil the slippery jacks for 15–20 minutes, skimming off the foam. Drain in a colander.

2. For the marinade, pour water into a pot and add salt, sugar, peppercorns, bay leaf, and mustard. Cook for 5 minutes; add the vinegar at the end.

3. Place a couple of garlic cloves on the bottom of sterilized jars, then add the mushrooms and pour the marinade over the top. Seal or close with lids.