What do pickles and baby iceberg lettuce have in common? They’re both served cold, they’re wonderfully crisp, and they are welcome regulars on summertime menus. Is it possible to create a fusion between these two familiar crunchy sides? The answer is definitely yes, and the outcome is deliciously different.
Pickled Iceberg Lettuce: Putting It on the Menu
As menu design inspiration, pickled iceberg lettuce arrives just in time for the peak of your restaurant’s summer business. As a condiment, ingredient or side, it’s just what a busy chef needs to impress customers with fresh, new flavors and tantalizing textures. Here are four irresistible reasons to put pickled lettuce on the menu.
1. IT’S NOT YOUR TYPICAL PICKLE
Sometimes, we take a little time out to bust myths about our favorite vegetables. However, we’ve never had anyone suggest that iceberg lettuce can’t hold up to the pickling process. We would never recommend giving it a boiling bath either. Let’s briefly address why pickled lettuce isn’t typical.
Pickling started out as an efficient way to preserve food, and cucumbers were probably our first brined produce. The technique hasn’t changed much, but pickled iceberg lettuce doesn’t need a high temperature soak. Instead, it builds unique flavors in a cooled brine that softens crisp textures into a silky crunch.
2. PICKLING LETTUCE IS A SNAP
Pickling lettuce is quick and easy, so don’t let anyone slow you down by asking if it’s actually fermented lettuce. Technically, it is because the process preserves beneficial enzymes and probiotics in the lettuce. Pickled lettuce by any name is still an ideal dish for busy commercial kitchens, and it earns its place in the refrigerator with an average shelf life of one week.
The basic recipe calls for a firm lettuce rinsed, trimmed and chopped. We recommend baby iceberg lettuce because it doesn’t need to be cored. Simply bring 2 quarts of spiced water to boil while you prep. Let the brining liquid cool, pour it over your chopped lettuce, and chill until service. It’s that easy.
3. FLAVOR PROFILES ARE ENDLESS
If the idea of fermented lettuce conjures up visions of a favorite kimchi, incorporate that taste into your new dish with a little garlic and ginger. Pickled iceberg lettuce takes on any flavor profile with just a few recipe modifications.
• Surprise with sweetly tart accents of dried cranberries or cherries.
• Go with the traditional tastes of chopped garlic and dill.
• Fire up flavors with diced chili peppers or red pepper flakes.
• Add Asian accents like soy sauce, sesame oil, honey or sugar.
• Brine with red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
Whether you keep it simple or create something complex, pickled iceberg lettuce delivers flavors that keep menus fresh and customers coming back for more.
4. Pickled Iceberg Pairs With Everything
Picking a flavor profile for pickled lettuce depends on how you plan on serving this delicious dish. Is it a condiment, snack or side? That’s entirely up to you and the good taste of your restaurant guests.
• Squeeze dry, add EVOO, and create a piquant pickled lettuce salad.
• Crown burgers and sandwiches with the pickled stuff.
• Garnish hot stir-fry with chilled pickled lettuce just before serving.
• Brighten up ordinary slaw by creating a house blend of cabbage and lettuce.
• Treat tacos to extra crunch with fiery pickled flavors.
Pickled baby iceberg lettuce even satisfies appetites that crave root to stem cooking. It’s also worth noting there’s no waste because there’s no core to throw away. That kind of efficient prep helps hold down food costs.
Sharing Fresh Inspiration
We enjoy bringing you fresh ideas that maximize creativity in commercial kitchens. It’s always our pleasure to share new and unusual menu inspiration. Pickling Iceberg Babies® definitely opens up new flavor dimensions for one of our favorite vegetables.
You can count on Hitchcock Farms to supply your favorite premium produce with maximum attention to quality and service. As one of California’s premium iceberg lettuce growers, it’s our pleasure to raise, pack and ship the very best straight from our fields to your tables.
