INGREDIENTS
- 1 medium (6 ounce) white onion, sliced 1/8 inch thick
- 3 (about 9 ounces total) manzano (AKA perón) chiles, stemmed, seeded and sliced 1/8 inch thick OR 2 medium (about 3/4 ounce total) habanero chiles, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- Salt
- 1/2 cup fresh lime juice, plus more if needed OR ¼ cup light vinegar mixed with ¼ cup water (see note below), plus more if needed
INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium bowl, mix together the onion, chile, oregano and 1/2 teaspoon salt. To avoid wasting a lot of lime or vinegar, pack the mixture into a straight-sided container (a wide-mouth jar works well) and pour on the lime juice or vinegar mixture. Press the vegetables down to ensure that they are nearly submerged. If needed, add more lime or diluted vinegar. Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours or, preferably, overnight. These will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to serve them, remove them from the pickling liquid.
A note about vinegar: Honestly, if you’ve chosen the vinegar version of this dish, any light-flavored vinegar will work—white wine, rice wine, champagne, even distilled white. I’ve written this for one that is the common 5% acidity (listed on most labels). The homemade fruit vinegars sold by fruit and vegetable vendors in Mexican markets can be wonderfully nuanced, but they are usually so light that they need no cutting with water.
