Recipe BookKitchen FoundationsPickles & Preserves

Pickled Jerusalem Artichokes

Name: Pickled Jerusalem Artichokes
Yield: Approximately 5 litres
Ingredients: 3.75 kg Jerusalem artichokes; 3 each Lemons, juiced, for the soaking water; 2 L White grape vinegar; 500 ml Apple cider vinegar; 1.5 L Water; 250 g Sugar; 120 g Sea salt; 6 each Bay leaves; 2 tbsp Coriander seeds; 2 tbsp Fennel seeds; 1 tbsp Mustard seeds; 1 tbsp Black peppercorns; 1 tsp Cloves; 2 each Cinnamon sticks; of 2 oranges, no pith Orange peel; 80 g Fresh ginger, sliced; 6 each Garlic, cloves, lightly crushed; 2 tbsp Honey; 1 tsp Saffron threads; 20 g Fresh thyme; 10 g Rosemary

Sunchokes blanched and jarred in a saffron and orange pickling liquor.

A pickle with a lot going on in the liquor: two vinegars, toasted spice, orange peel, ginger, honey and saffron. The artichokes are blanched briefly so they stay crisp.

Approximately 5 litres

Cook this

Into acidulated water the moment they are cut. Jerusalem artichokes oxidise fast, and a grey pickle is a pickle that was left sitting.
Chef Paul Dukai

Ingredients

The artichokes

Jerusalem artichokes3.75 kg
Lemons, juiced, for the soaking water3 each

Pickling liquor

White grape vinegar2 L
Apple cider vinegar500 ml
Water1.5 L
Sugar250 g
Sea salt120 g

Aromatics

Bay leaves6 each
Coriander seeds2 tbsp
Fennel seeds2 tbsp
Mustard seeds1 tbsp
Black peppercorns1 tbsp
Cloves1 tsp
Cinnamon sticks2 each
Orange peelof 2 oranges, no pith

Signature elements

Fresh ginger, sliced80 g
Garlic, cloves, lightly crushed6 each
Honey2 tbsp
Saffron threads1 tsp
Fresh thyme20 g
Rosemary10 g

Method

Wash the artichokes thoroughly. Leave the small ones whole and halve or quarter the larger pieces, putting them straight into cold water with the lemon juice to stop them oxidising.
Toast the coriander, fennel, mustard and peppercorns until fragrant.
Combine the vinegars, water, sugar and salt and bring to a simmer. Add the toasted spices, bay leaves, cinnamon, orange peel, ginger, garlic, honey and saffron, and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Off the heat, add the thyme and rosemary and let it infuse for 20 minutes.
Bring salted water to the boil and blanch the sunchokes for 90 seconds if small, 2 minutes if large. Shock immediately in ice water and drain thoroughly.
Pack sterilised jars with the sunchokes, distributing the aromatics evenly. Pour the hot liquor over them, making sure they are completely covered, and seal immediately.
Mature for a minimum of 7 days. Three weeks is ideal, and the peak flavour is at six.

Chef’s notes

A service variation from the source: reserve one litre of the pickle liquor and whisk in 50 g of burnt honey, 15 ml of balsamic vinegar and a small pinch of smoked paprika, using that batch exclusively for service. The burnt honey brings caramelised depth that suits lamb, mutton tail, duck, game and charred vegetables.
The finished pickle should be crisp, floral from the saffron, lightly citrusy and deeply aromatic, with enough acidity to cut through rich dishes while the earthy sweetness of the artichoke still shows.

Keeping

DUKAI storage guidance

Sealed sterilised jars, kept refrigerated at 5°C or below, with the artichokes fully covered by the liquor at all times. The maturation of 7 days to 6 weeks in the method is how the pickle is made; after that it holds for several months cold, and quality declines before safety does. Once a jar is opened, keep it cold, use clean utensils, and discard any jar that is cloudy, bulging or smells fermented rather than pickled.

Allergens and diet

Mustard, from the seeds. Sulphites, from the vinegars.

Last refined · September 2026