Introduction: Pickle Juice Gelatin Salad (aka the Weirdest Dinner I've Ever Made)

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About: I used to work for instructables.com, now I just make stuff. // follow me to see what I'm up to: https://www.echoechostudio.com

First, some backstory:

I have been playing around and experimenting a lot with gelatin lately. After doing some research for another Instructable I am working on, I have inadvertently learned that gelatin is very good for you and have been seeking out more recipes which include it.

I had read about Plaid & Paleo's apple cider gummies which calls for the addition of apple cider vinegar, and made a batch for myself and my housemates. (Bless them for being such willing guinea pigs for my kitchen science experiments.) One of my housemates declared that it tasted like eating a 'strangely chewy pickle', and suggested I could just as easily have used pickle juice. Ever to play devil's advocate, I inquired "Gross! What would that even be good in?!" We all thought about it for a moment before I proposed "Maybe egg salad?"

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

We may or may not have been inebriated when we conceived this idea.

Try at your own risk.

Step 1: Ingredients and Tools

For this recipe, I used the following ingredients:

  • About 1 cup Pickle Juice
  • 2 Knox Gelatine Packages
  • Coconut Oil, only as mold release for the Jello
  • 1 Avocado
  • 5 Hard Boiled Egg whites- it was supposed to be six, but I dropped one on the floor when I was taking some shell bits off. (I'm admittedly a newb when it comes to Hard Boiled Eggs)
  • Arugula

Tools:

  • Small frying pan
  • Tea infuser
  • Knife
  • Shallow loaf pan
  • Whisk

Step 2: Straining the Pickle Juice

There was all kind of pickling spices that remains in the pickle juice that I wanted to remove before turning this juice into jello.

I used my tea diffuser, as it had the smallest holes out of any other straining device in my kitchen. I was left with about one cup of liquid, so I knew that to gel that much I would need to use about 2 Tbs of gelatine.

Step 3: Heat and Gel

I slowly brought the pickle juice up to a steaming temperature and gently whisked in 2 Tbs of Gelatine, one tablespoon at a time.

Whisk until it is 100% incorporated, and the mixture looks homogeneous.

Step 4: Pour and Chill

Pour the warm gel/pickle mixture into a lightly oiled pan so that it can cool - I left the mixture in the fridge for about one hour for it to set completely.

Step 5: Mush It All Together

When the pickle juice gelatin had set, I chopped it into 1/4" cubes.

Having tried one cube, I realized that they have a STRONG FLAVOR, and was glad that I had decided to mix the small cubes with avocado and egg whites.

I make my egg salad with avocado because I think mayonnaise is disgusting. Just a personal preference.

I cut up the egg whites into small piece, sprinkled everything with a little salt and pepper and then incorporated everything into one mixture on the cutting board with just a fork.

Step 6: Eating Disappointment

You know, I tried something new. Give me credit for that? I ate my failure, so it wasn't all that bad. I think if you are the kind of person that likes Sea Salt and Vinegar chips than you may be into this, but I just wasn't. I did, however, see this meal as something nutritious that I had made, and mostly palatable (with the right amount of Tapatio), and I hate wasting food, so I ate it.

If you are bold enough to make this....concoction...., I'll award a YEAR! pro membership to the first five people who share their creation using the 'I Made It' button in the comments. But seriously, it's kinda weird. If you are a foodie, I would love you to monkey with this recipe - does gelatinized pickle juice have a place in the world? I'm hopeful.

I just don't think it belongs in an egg salad.