The Quick And Easy Condiment That'll Take Your Tacos To The Next Level

It's no secret that people love tacos. Americans eat more than 4 billion tacos every year, and taco chains rank high among restaurant options, with Del Taco rating No. 1 among all types of U.S. fast food spots. While tacos are great in all their varieties, there's one quick, easy condiment that takes their taste even higher. To find out what the best condiment is, Food Republic spoke to Humberto Martinez, founder of Space City Birria. Whether you're ordering in, dining out, or making tacos at home, the addition of quick pickled onions can level up this popular food to even tastier proportions.

"Pickled onions are one of the best toppings for tacos because of their bright and tangy flavor," explained Martinez. "I do not like raw onions but would put pickled onions on my tacos all day. They provide a fresh, acidic flavor that complements the cilantro and lime and other toppings."

In particular, Martinez favors adding the condiment to specific types of tacos. "Personally, I think the best tacos with pickled onions are steak, carnitas, barbacoa, birria, seafood, and chicken," he shared. Birria tacos and other birria-based dishes feature slow-cooked, braised meat. Birria originated in Mexico and originally featured goat meat — though beef is the more commonly found type in the United States, and the addition of pickled onions sets off the complex, spice-forward flavor of the dish to perfection, cutting through the richness with a burst of sharp acidity.

Pickled onions are a surprise powerhouse to keep stocked in your kitchen, enhancing dishes with extra color as well as acidity and brightness. In addition to jazzing up tacos, the topping amps up recipes like tuna salad and gives a tasty bite to sandwiches, salads, burgers, and more. Pickled red onions are surprisingly simple to make, too, so home cooks can keep some on hand for a quick flavor uptick whenever they want one.

"You can easily make pickled onions at home. All you need is red onions, vinegar, garlic, [and to] let them sit for 24 hours," Humberto Martinez instructed. "If you want them quicker than that, just hit up your local grocery store."

While any type of onion can be utilized for pickling, red onions are particularly popular because the resulting onion tendrils are a bright pink hue that gives a beautiful dimension of color to dishes. You can also use any type of vinegar – though some favor apple cider vinegar for its added sweetness to balance the bite of the onion. Different spices, herbs, and other ingredients can additionally be incorporated for variety. "Adding some oregano can spice up your pickled onions recipe," Martinez suggested. Plus, the oregano will pair nicely with the spices in the tacos.