How To Use Frozen Pickles To Give Your Salads And Sandwiches A Flavor Boost

You may already know that pickle popsicles are a great tangy way to beat the summer heat — and now, thanks to social media, there's another good reason to keep pickles on hand in your freezer. When frozen and grated, pickles make for a great flavor and textural boost to sandwiches, salads, and other dishes that could benefit from a tangy and crunchy addition.

You can choose any type of pickle that you prefer, whether dill pickles, bread and butter, or little gherkins or cornichons. You'll want to use whole pickles rather slices though for easier grating. Put your pickle on a baking sheet and freeze, then store in a Ziploc bag. If you don't have the space, you can place a single pickle in a plastic bag and freeze it. Use a cheese grater or a microplane to grate the frozen pickle over your favorite sandwich or salad, and serve immediately. Remember to put the frozen pickle back in the freezer for future use.

Freezing food ingredients and then using a grater to incorporate them into a dish is certainly not new. Gordon Ramsay likes to freeze his chiles and grate them as an easy way to add a bit of heat to dishes — and the method works for everything from butter and chocolate to ginger and anchovies. However, it wasn't until just a few months ago that grated frozen pickles started showing up on Instagram and TikTok, with clips showing frozen pickles being grated over dishes such as fresh tomatoes, tomato and burrata salads, cheese platters, and more. And while social media has come up with some questionable food hacks in the past, this is one that you can and should adopt, assuming you like pickles, that is.

Try using grated frozen pickles to add a fresh and tangy contrast to the charred tomatoes and creamy burrata in our pasta with burrata and charred tomatoes recipe. Or use grated frozen pickles to elevate our easy deviled eggs recipe with a little tangy and textural crunch. Grated frozen pickles will also add textural interest and tang to caprese salads and hearty salads such as egg salad, chicken salad, tuna salad, or potato salad. Or use grated frozen pickles instead of sliced pickles on burgers and sandwiches such as grilled cheese, tomato sandwiches, or Cuban sandwiches.