The Pickle 25 · No. 24 of 25

  1. Half Sours from Brooklyn Brine No.24Photo: Brooklyn Brine

    Dill and sour

    Half Sours

    From Brooklyn Brine · Brooklyn, New York

    Fermented○○○No heat

    A Brooklyn pickle maker that helped start the borough's craft pickle wave. The half sour is the New York deli pickle that's still bright green and crunchy.

    Half sours are the fresh, salty, crunchy side of the deli pickle. Eat them cold and fast; they're best in the first week.

    Eat it withCorned beef on ryeA bagel with loxMatzo ball soup on the side
    Order from Brooklyn Brine ↗More from Brooklyn Brine ↗

    Chef's quick version

    Three-day half sours

    15 min, then 2 to 3 days · makes 1 quart · Same as a full sour, but you stop early, when they're still green inside. Keep them cold after.

    Save to my recipes

    You need

    • 6 Kirby cucumbers, very fresh
    • 4 cups (950 ml) filtered water
    • 2 tbsp (36 g) fine sea salt
    • 5 garlic cloves, smashed
    • 1 tsp pickling spice
    • A handful of dill

    How to make it

    1. Trim the blossom ends.
    2. Dissolve the salt in the water.
    3. Pack the cucumbers with the garlic, spice and dill, cover with brine and weigh down.
    4. Leave at room temperature 2 to 3 days, until the outside turns olive but the middle is still green.
    5. Refrigerate. Best within a week.

    Chef's own quick version, in our words. It isn't Brooklyn Brine's recipe: for the real thing, order the jar.

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