Pickled Walnuts Recipe - How to Make Pickled Walnuts | Hank Shaw (2024)

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4.88 from 25 votes

By Hank Shaw

June 30, 2014 | Updated June 06, 2022

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Pickled Walnuts Recipe - How to Make Pickled Walnuts | Hank Shaw (2)

There may be a few foods that are more English than pickled walnuts, but with the possible exception of fish and chips, I can’t think of one. Chances are, however, you’ve never heard of them. I hadn’t, until several years ago when I ordered the meat-and-cheese plate at alocal Irish place called deVere’s.

On this place was a black disk. I asked the waitress what on earth it was, and she smiled; she’d had this question before: “It’s a pickled walnut. It’s good with the cheddar.”

I followed her advice and stabbed the disk with my fork, adding a bit of cheddar cheese and a bit of cold roast beef to round things out. Wow. It was a bit like eating solid steak sauce, with a little floral aroma and a zephyr of bitterness that just barely let you notice it.

I ate another disk all by itself: Fairly soft, puckery and strangely floral. And yes, there was definitely a Worcestershire-Heinz 57-A1-thing going on here. How had I never had these before?

Turns out that very, very few people outside of Britain eat them. This should change, which is why I am presenting you with this recipe. And the reason I am posting this now is because you need to get out and get your walnuts now. That’s right, you need green, unripe walnuts to make pickles. And yes, you use the whole thing, hull and all.

Pickled Walnuts Recipe - How to Make Pickled Walnuts | Hank Shaw (3)

I got mine a few weeks ago, after an unsuccessful fishing trip with my friend Joe. We were in the Delta and as we were driving out, I noticed a NorCal black walnut (Juglans hindsii) absolutely laden down with nuts. “Pull over!” Joe, used to this by now, did. I gathered about 150 nuts in less than 15 minutes. It was a bonanza.

I knew I was in business right when I got to the tree, but just to be sure I pulled out my pocketknife and sliced an unripe nut in half. You need to do this, either with a knife or a stout needle or a long nail, because you have to catch the unripe walnuts before the shell forms. Once that shell forms inside the walnut’s hull, you’re too late; the traditional harvest date in England is late June.

The process for pickled walnuts is not hard at all, but it takes more than a week. You need to brine the green walnuts for a good long time before they will be ready to pickle properly. The brine time helps with preservation and removes some of the bitterness in the unripe walnuts. Once brine pickled, they are pretty durable.

Do you need to sun-blacken the walnuts? No, but doing so gives you a nice, uniform look to them. Otherwise they will be olive green in some places, blotchy black in others.

Pickled Walnuts Recipe - How to Make Pickled Walnuts | Hank Shaw (4)

Once you have your pickled walnuts, what do you do with them? Look to the English. Traditionally they are part of a ploughman’s lunch, with other pickles, cheese and cold meats. But I see them a lot tossed into beef or lamb stews (pot pies and pasties, too!) in wintertime, and in summertime I’ve seen them served in cool salads alongside tomatoes, and accompanying shellfish such as scallops or shrimp.

4.88 from 25 votes

Pickled Walnuts

Any walnuts will work with this recipe, from tiny native Arizona walnuts to big, fat English walnuts, which are the kind you buy in stores. But you do need them hull and all, so this only works if you have a tree nearby. The pickling liquid in my recipe is very traditional; you'll see variations on it throughout England. I've also made a Chinese-inspired version with Sichuan peppercorns and star anise replacing the allspice. This recipe makes about 3 quarts.

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: British

Servings: 25

Author: Hank Shaw

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Ingredients

  • About 50 to 60 green, unripe walnuts
  • 1/2 cup kosher salt
  • 1/2 gallon water
  • 2 quarts cider or malt vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cracked allspice berries
  • 1 ounce ginger, about 1 1/2-inch pieces, smashed
  • 1 cup brown sugar

Instructions

  • Dissolve the salt in the water to make a brine. Put on some rubber gloves if you have them, because walnut juice will stain your hands for weeks -- and it won't come off. Trust me on this one. Properly gloved, stab each walnut with a fork in several places; this helps the brine penetrate. Submerge the walnuts in the brine and let them ferment for 8 days at room temperature.

  • Remove the walnuts and put them on a baking sheet and leave them outside in the sun for a day, until they turn uniformly black. You can do this step without gloves if you want.

  • Pack the walnuts into quart jars. Bring the remaining ingredients to a boil and pour over the walnuts. Leave very little headspace in the jars. Seal and keep in a cool place, either the fridge or a basem*nt -- you just want them to rest below 70°F -- for at least a month before you eat them. Kept this way they will last a year.

Notes

Note that prep time does not include fermenting time.

Nutrition

Calories: 49kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2272mg | Potassium: 24mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

Categorized as:
Appetizers and Snacks, British, Featured, Foraging, Preservation Recipes, Recipe

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Read More About Me

Pickled Walnuts Recipe - How to Make Pickled Walnuts | Hank Shaw (2024)

FAQs

Pickled Walnuts Recipe - How to Make Pickled Walnuts | Hank Shaw? ›

Properly gloved, stab each walnut with a fork in several places; this helps the brine penetrate. Submerge the walnuts in the brine and let them ferment for 8 days at room temperature. Remove the walnuts and put them on a baking sheet and leave them outside in the sun for a day, until they turn uniformly black.

Are pickled walnuts healthy? ›

They are a good source of fiber and magnesium, as well as vitamin E. Pickling walnuts will ensure that you receive all of these health benefits no matter what time of year, along with probiotics which are great for gut health.

Why are pickled walnuts black? ›

Soaking the walnuts in brine causes a chemical reaction to take place and the walnuts turn dark brown to black in colour when exposed to sunlight. The now-black walnuts are then placed into jars and a pickling solution poured over them.

Are pickled walnuts fermented? ›

Cover the walnuts in brine and leave to ferment for 8 days at room temperature. Use a weight to ensure the walnuts stay submerged in the brine. Drain the brine, place the walnuts on a baking sheet or tray. Leave them outside in the sunshine for a day or until they turn uniformly black.

Where did pickled walnuts originate? ›

Further discussions with Andrew's parents revealed that they were traditional British Christmas fare. Pickled walnuts were very popular in the 1700s and were usually consumed on Boxing Day alongside leftover cold meats, presumably because of their ability to enhance the flavour of meat dishes.

Is there a downside to eating walnuts? ›

Excess calories are an obesity risk. Allergy. Among the tree nuts, walnuts and cashews most frequently cause allergic reactions in America. Allergies to walnuts can appear as skin rashes, digestive problems, or respiratory symptoms like cough and wheezing.

Is it OK to eat walnuts everyday? ›

Gut health

Bacteria and microbes in your intestines and gut are also essential to your health. Research shows walnuts can improve gut health. In a clinical trial, adults who ate walnuts every day had healthier gut bacteria.

Who eats pickled walnuts? ›

Pickled walnuts (from English walnut, Juglans regia) are a traditional British delicacy. The Royal Horticultural Society even mentions them.

What is the disease in the black walnuts? ›

What is it? Thousand cankers disease primarily attacks black walnuts and is caused by the combined activity of the walnut twig beetle and a fungus it transmits. The fungus is spread as adult beetles feed beneath the bark.

What did the Native Americans use black walnuts for? ›

Ethnobotanic: The bark of black walnut was used by many native groups, including the Cherokee, in tea as a laxative and chewed for toothaches. Caution: Bark should be used cautiously in medicine, because it is poisonous. The Cherokee also ate the fruit of the black walnut.

Which is healthier pickled or fermented? ›

The differences in their preservation does result in several differences in their available health benefits. The main difference in the health benefits between pickled and fermented foods lies in their probiotic properties. Fermentation generates more beneficial bacteria in foods, making them probiotic.

How to eat pickled walnuts? ›

Put them on your cheeseboard. They pair particularly well with blue cheese – Roquefort, Cashel blue and Stilton are my favourite cheeses to eat with Opies Pickled Walnuts. Enjoy them in stuffing.

When to pick black walnuts for pickling? ›

Sweet pickled black walnuts take three weeks to make but they last for ages. If you're interested in pickling walnuts, pick them in summer before the hard nut forms inside the green shell.

What is the old name for walnuts? ›

Our word “walnut” comes from the Old Welsh/English “wealhhnutu” which means “foreign nut”, as they were brought to Britain from Europe>. Let's not forget the seamen lol. The scientific name for walnuts is Juglans regia, which is Latin for “Jupiter's Nut” after the ancient Roman god.

Which country made the best walnuts? ›

Description. Nutsville Walnuts are directly imported from Chile which is third largest walnut exporting country in the world. Chilean walnut is the best quality walnut in the world.

What country eats the most walnuts? ›

1. China. China is the top walnut producing and consuming country in the world.

What is the healthiest type of walnut? ›

They also pack plenty of vitamin A, iron, minerals, and fiber. Black walnuts have higher levels of antioxidants, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and other health-promoting compounds than the more common English walnuts, making them useful in reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

Are walnuts healthy or fattening? ›

Walnuts were among the foods that made the strongest contribution to a healthy diet. Though relatively high in calories, walnuts are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, fats, and plant compounds that may help support good physical functioning as you age.

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