Lebanese chef and cookbook author Lina Saad hardly ever has leftover pickle brine. “I never use vinegar if I can use pickle juice because it has that bright intensity — the layers of flavor that come with fermentation,” she explains.
The London-based chef uses pickle juice to balance sweet, hot, and creamy flavors. For example, in her habanero-mango wing sauce, the sour pucker balances the fruit and contrasts boldly with the requisite blue cheese dressing.
Pickle juice with olive oil, cumin, and a bit of citrus juice makes a wonderful vinaigrette. The salty, sweet, and sour combination is a great addition to any salad.
You can add a splash of brine to any recipe in which you’d ordinarily use vinegar. It balances out the fats in deviled eggs, gives bloody marys a salty punch, and makes lentil soup sing.
And if you have a full jar of pickle juice? Amador suggests combining it with olive oil and seasoning to create a marinade for juicy poultry, such as a pickle-brined fried chicken.
Level Up Your Cooking
Coffee, tea, beer, and wine can add flavor and complexity to some of your favorite dishes. Learn more at “Level Up Your Cooking With Beer, Tea, Coffee, and Other Flavorful Liquids,” from which this article was excerpted.
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