Mexican Style Hot Pickled Carrots

dawnie2u's Note:

These are the hot carrots like you get in Mexican restaurants. They are positively addictive. I usually make a batch and share with a friend or neighbor. This recipe comes from a restaurant in San Diego called Alta Vista. It was owned and run by a woman named Mary Sargent. Her loyal customers were saddened when she closed her doors and retired, but at least we are able to make these delicious carrots.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 0 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 18

Yield: 8.0 cups

• 2 lbs carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal (1/4 inch thick)
• 2 yellow onions, peeled and sliced
• 1 1/2 quarts warm water
• 7 ounces whole canned jalapeno peppers, with liquid
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 6 whole garlic cloves
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon salt

Directions:

1. Put carrots in a large 3 or 4-quart pot. Add warm water and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Boil for 5 minutes and then remove from heat.
3. To pot, add the peppers, onions, oregano, garlic, vinegar, bay leaves and salt.
4. Let cool for 2-3 hours. Put in jars and place in refrigerator. These will keep for a week after opening jar.
5. Can also be kept in airtight containers in refrigerator.
6. Makes 8-9 cups.

Reviews

[luvmybge]

Very tasty! I used one quart of water and a 12-ounce jar of jalapeño peppers. Black peppercorns were also added to the mix. My carrots were the little baby carrots. They were really thin and small so there was no need to boil them. I just packed them into jars and ladled the boiling mixture over them and capped and sealed. This makes a great crunchy snack to take the place of a high fat crunch from potato chips.

[Stanford]

For my taste, the carrots were overcooked after five minutes, and they were even softer after sitting covered while the solution cooled -- and continued to cook them. Otherwise, the flavor is good; the oregano could be doubled or tripled without harm though.

[gemgal]

Muchas Gracias!!! This is the hot carrot recipe I was hoping for. Hot carrots are so commonly served at authentic Mexican restaurants and taco shops where I grew up in San Diego, CA. Now that we live in Montana we really miss the great little things in life. Serve as an appetizer with chips and salsa before a Mexican meal. Best with a little crunch. We added 1 TBL of oil. Thank you for sharing. Muy delicioso!!