Pickled Mustard Seeds are a tasty alternative to plain old mustard! Using mustard seeds, honey, vinegar and a little of your time, you will be rewarded with a unique condiment made from little flavor explosions! The advice in this recipe, is to go through an easy albeit time consuming process, to remove mustard seed bitterness.

Follow this recipe for Pickled Mustard Seeds to create a non bitter condiment that is so versatile, you’ll want to have a jar of it in your refrigerator at all times!

Ingredients

Yellow mustard seeds.
Honey.
Salt.
White wine vinegar.

A Word About Bitterness

~~Let go of all the wrongs people have committed against~~ , sorry, we’re talking about mustard seed bitterness. Mustard seeds both yellow and brown are bitter. Cooking them helps only a little but the end result will still be bitter. The only solution to reduce the bitterness in the seeds is to follow these simple steps:

Place mustard seeds in a pot with fresh water.
Bring them to the boil.
Drain them using a mesh sieve.
Return them to the pot and add fresh water.
Repeat steps 2-4 for at least 6 times. I do 8 times for good measure!

Do not think of omitting this process, the honey and vinegar will not mask the bitterness of mustard seeds. The tannins (naturally occurring chemical compounds found in the mustard seeds) that cause the bitterness will come through and your attempt of making Pickled Mustard Seeds will be a fail.

Instructions

Put the mustard seeds into a pot with enough water to cover them.

Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and strain the mustard seeds through a mesh sieve.

There’s no need to collect the water, this is to show the color of the water after the first round of cooking.

Return the mustard seeds to the pot and add fresh water. Bring to a boil, remove from heat and strain. Repeat this for another 6 times at least for a total of 8 times.

The mustard seeds will expand and become softer.

In a mason jar, mix the salt, honey and vinegar. Feel free to warm the honey a little bit, this will help mix it with the vinegar. Add the strained mustard seeds, screw the lid on and store the Pickled Mustard Seeds in the refrigerator for at least 4 days for the seeds to take on a pickled flavor.

Flexibility

Yellow mustard seeds work best for this recipe. Using brown seeds make this condiment too pungent. Using half yellow and half brown will however work, but be prepared for a ‘kick’ along with vinegary sweetness from the liquid part.

Any type of sharper vinegar can be substituted for the white wine vinegar such as malt, white distilled, apple cider, sherry, red wine, and rice wine vinegar.

Brown sugar, date syrup or other type of natural sweetener can be used instead of honey. I used creamed honey.

Add other flavorings if you would like – such as vanilla, bourbon or soy sauce to create your own unique version of Pickled Mustard Seeds.

Uses for Pickled Mustard Seeds

Pickled Mustard Seeds are a condiment and can be used with sandwiches, cold cuts, cheese boards, steaks and my favorite – a Slider Bar.

They are also an ingredient in potato salad, salad dressings, sauces, glazes or marinades.

Variety of bread rolls, cooked burger patties, lettuce, tomato and onion, pickles, pickled mustard, tomato jam, onion chutney, blue cheese topping and Baconnaise. — Slider Bar showing Pickled Mustard Seeds and other condiments.

Storage of Pickled Mustard Seeds

Store them in a mason or jelly jar in the refrigerator for at least 4 days before using. This helps develop the pickle flavor. You have 4 months or so in which to eat them. I’m sure they’ll be long gone before then!

A Tip From Me

For every recipe there are 2 points to remember.:

Follow the culinary advice given in it. Many people, some professional, have been cooking for years. They have had soaring successes and epic failures. It’s important to know and follow their tips for success.
Make the recipe your own. All of my posts contain a section called ‘Flexibility.’ This section is to help you use ingredients or equipment you have on hand. Subtle changes in ingredients will produce a slightly different end result and one that I hope you prefer.

Got Questions

I’ve got answers – hopefully!

Do I really have to go through this entire process to remove bitterness in the mustard seeds? Yes, if not the end result will be Pickled Mustard Seeds that are too bitter to enjoy.
Do I drain off the liquid (honey, vinegar and salt) once 4 days have past and the mustard seeds are ready? No, keep the liquid, or brine as it is called, for the mustard seeds to sit in. As time passes the flavor of the Pickled Mustard Seeds will intensify.
Why are mustard seeds bitter? They contain tannins, naturally occurring compounds present in foods such as mustard seeds, coffee, tea, cider, wine, nuts just to name a few. Tannins have an astringent property (think black tea when the tea bag has been left in too long.). These tannins give the foods containing them an acidic, bitter taste.