Pickle Pairings: A Snack Combo for Each of Our Dills
Pickles make everything better. They are the perfect healthy snacks for when you are craving something salty and crunchy, especially late at night. They add beautiful texture to an otherwise boring and ordinary dish. They bring a refreshingly tangy and acidic layer that cuts through rich, creamy foods. They preserve the produce that would otherwise spoil in your fridge and garden, so you can enjoy perishable foods for months and sometimes years past their standard expiration dates. They are versatile; you can pickle ingredients such as eggs, beets, green beans, asparagus, carrots, celery, cucumbers, onions, garlic, sweet peppers, hot peppers, green tomatoes, radishes, peaches, apples...the list goes on. They are sharp and delectably pungent. Sandwiches love them, hamburgers love them, cheeses love them, and we love them. Whether they are dill pickles, sweet pickles, or spicy pickles, they all make the good healthy snacks list for any occasion.
People frequently ask us how we create our pickle recipes. For many, it is a surprise to learn that none of them are family recipes. As a collection of culinary trail blazers, independent thinkers, and innovative makers, we are inspired by creativity and ingenuity and challenge ourselves to reimagine what has been done before. We approach consumer packaged goods with a chef’s mentality, and we are slaves to the details. We pride ourselves on not just repeating what has been done before, and we get excited about unique ingredients that are not usually, if ever, found in pickle jars. If someone has a good idea for a pickle flavor, we go for it and see what we can yield. From the start of The Real Dill, this has been our iteration process.
As self-appointed pickle experts, we believe there are standards that pickles must meet in order to be declared the best pickles out there. Here is our magic formula for creating the best pickles:
- Quality: We make no compromises, and we are relentlessly committed to making the absolute best pickles of their kind.
- Detail: Our eccentric pickle treats are made with an obsessive attention to detail.
- Ingredients: When it comes to pickling, you have to use the freshest ingredients available. When you process pickle jars in a hot water bath, they naturally seal and preserve. This is a method that people have used for centuries and the one we use to make shelf stable pickles. Luckily, that means that preservatives and additives are not necessary for creating a long-lasting product. In fact, we only use ingredients that you’d find in your pantry or garden in our pickles.
- Texture: As much as we love pickles, mushy pickles are the absolute worst. A crunchy, crisp pickle with the perfect snap is essential.
- Flavor: We love good food, and we get inspired by the flavors we discover in the food we taste, whether it be from cuisines around the country or around the world. While many of our recipes are complex, balance is key when it comes to creating the perfect pickle flavor profile.
Pickles make for the best snacks because they do not need any doctoring. However, as a bunch of food-obsessed pickle lovers, we always strive to use our pickled treats in unconventional ways.
For finding the perfect pickle pairing, we suggest following this simple guide:
- Opposites attract: Opposites can be complimentary when it comes to melding food flavors together. For example, think salty and sweet, spicy and sweet, and savory and sweet.
- Similar things also work well together: Things that are alike tend to combine together beautifully. Think salty cheese with salty pickles. A match made in salty heaven.
- Don't overpower your pairing with complicated flavors: Keep it simple. With high quality ingredients in your pairing, you do not have to work hard to create a delicious combo. Always consider the strength of the flavors in your pairings so you do not muddy the taste or lose important pickle notes in your final dish.
Here is a list of our favorite pickle pairings that will help you explore pickles' true potential beyond scarfing them down straight from the jar (although, we totally encourage and recommend this method as well).
Caraway Garlic Dills
This inspired take on classic dill pickles is packed with loads of fresh garlic and dill and a healthy serving of toasted caraway seed. Opening a jar of these is reminiscent of when your grandmother’s freshly baked rye bread comes out of the oven and the warm aromas paint the entire house. Toasty notes of caraway and fragrant garlic pay homage to tradition and transport you back in time to the nostalgic memories of days past.
Caraway Garlic Dills are our version of elevated dill pickles. They are familiar, salty, tangy, and super dilly. They are also our kid-favorite pickle. Caraway Garlic Dills are really versatile. You can dress them up or let their traditional flavor profile shine.
Here are our favorite pairings to try with Caraway Garlic Dills:
- Deli sandwiches such as pastrami on rye
- Potato salad (try our Pickle Potato Salad recipe)
- Fried pickles (try our healthy Oven "Fried" Pickles recipe)
- Brats, hot dogs, burgers, and sliders (try our Simple Slider Skewers recipe)
- Use the brine in fresh baked bread for an extra special rye bread (try our Fresh Baked Caraway Garlic Dill Bread recipe)
- Cheese boards (learn how to build your own here)
- Cheddar cheese and herb cheese
Habanero Horseradish Dills
Our most popular pickle poses peppery habanero and horseradish against a great deal of dill and floral spices. The contrasting combination blends together harmoniously, proving opposites really do attract. Many flavors have come and gone throughout the years, but this thoughtfully balanced recipe has been our standard bearer and crowd favorite since day one.
Habanero Horseradish Dills have a rather intimidating name for a flawlessly balanced pickle. Often mistaken as spicy pickles, Habanero Horseradish Dills are florally, dilly, and even in flavor.
Here are our favorite pairings to try with Habanero Horseradish Dills:
- Pasta salad (try our Bloody Mary Pasta Salad recipe)
- Infused vodka (try our Habanero Horseradish Infused Vodka recipe)
- Dipping sauces (try our Dilly Dipping Sauce recipe)
- Bacon and cured meats (try these bacon wrapped pickle bites)
- Cheese boards (learn how to build your own here)
- Semi-soft cheese such as fontina, havarti, Tomme, and gouda
A dynamic combination of Colorado wildflower honey, jalapeño, and onion create a pleasant balance of sweet and savory. The fateful day when we cracked open the first jar of these contrastingly nuanced pickles is now referred to as “The Pickle Epiphany,” when our hobby officially graduated to a profession. If homemade was a flavor, it’s what you taste in these uniquely familiar, yet one-of-a-kind pickles.
While Jalapeño Honey Dills are not truly sweet pickles, especially not as sweet as a bread and butter pickle, we like to treat them similarly. They have a the perfect kiss of sweetness that pairs wonderfully with super salty dishes.
Here are our favorite pairings to try with Jalapeño Honey Dills:
- Sandwiches such as Italian sub and Cuban sandwiches (try our Cuban Breakfast Sandwich recipe)
- Pulled pork and barbecued meats
- Deviled eggs (try our Jalapeño Honey Deviled Eggs recipe)
- Egg salad
- Tuna salad (try our Bloody Mary Inspired Tuna Salad recipe)
- As a substitute for relish on burgers and hot dogs
- Creamy dips (try our Creamy Healthy Pickle Dip recipe)
- Use the brine as a base for salad dressings (try our Sweet and Spicy Vinaigrette recipe)
- Cheese boards (learn how to build your own here)
- Soft and creamy cheese such as goat cheese, burrata, and blue cheese
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