The first time we met, my friend Tamar wasn’t sure if she would like me enough to stay for dinner, so instead she put out a large cheese board draped with mortadella and beautiful jammy eggs topped with pickled chiles, and yes, plenty of wine. Luckily I made the cut and she passed her recipe along, which inspired this one, now a staple in my household. The chiles prove to be incredibly handy when you throw a last-minute cocktail party. I bet they would actually be incredible in a martini. We also use them on pizza, sandwiches, greens, pastas, or really anywhere you want some briny heat. Tamar and I now make these pickled chiles together in the very late summer when we are up to our ears in every kind of pepper you can imagine and frantically trying to hold on to the season.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6

　　

For the pickled chiles

1 pound (455 g) fresh chiles, such as jalapeños, serranos, cayennes, or Fresnos, thinly sliced into rounds

　　1¾ cups (420 ml) distilled white vinegar

　　2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

　　2 tsp. raw sugar, plus more to taste

　　

For the eggs

Kosher salt

　　6 large eggs

　　Flaky salt

　　

Pickle the chiles

Step 1

Wash two 16-ounce (480 ml) wide-mouth Mason jars with lids well with hot, soapy water. Add the chiles, packing them in tightly, but leave enough room at the top of the jars to close them with ease once the liquid is poured in. In a saucepan, bring ½ cup (120 ml) water and the vinegar to a boil. Add the kosher salt and the sugar and simmer until the salt and sugar dissolve. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking. You may want it a bit sweeter or perhaps saltier; the journey to a perfect pickle brine is yours. Pour the hot brine over the chiles and seal the jars tightly. Allow the jars to come to room temperature then store in the refrigerator.

　　

Prepare the eggs

Step 2

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Gently lower the eggs into the pot and turn down to a simmer. Cook the eggs for 7 minutes if you like them jammy; a few minutes longer if not. Drain and run under cool water to stop them from cooking further.

　　

Step 3

Peel the eggs and arrange them on a platter. Season with flaky salt and top each with a few chiles. 

　　Recipe excerpt from the book Colu Cooks by Colu Henry, published by Abrams. Text copyright © 2022 by Colu Henry. Photography by Tara Donne. Buy the full book from Abrams or Amazon.