Quick Fish Sauce Pickled Cherry Tomatoes

I had such a glut of summer tomatoes that even I, possibly the fruit's greatest fan, needed to find a different way of eating them than simply as is, which is what I had been doing for most of the summer.

These quick pickled cherry tomatoes were the answer. Fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, garlic, a Thai chile and peppercorns make them punchy, tangy and a little hot, while just enough sugar takes the edge off the vinegar without making the pickle noticeably sweet. Halving the tomatoes exposes their flesh to the pickling liquid but leaves them intact enough to retain some of their fresh tomato texture.

They are useful to have in the fridge whenever something needs a little extra punch. Spoon them alongside roast chicken or grilled fish, serve them with BBQ ribs as an unusual sharp, tangy condiment to cut through all that richness, add them to a cheese or charcuterie board, or blitz a few tomatoes with some of their pickling liquid to make a dressing. I ate mine quickly enough that their potential refrigerator life never became an issue.

Makes about 2 cups.

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

7 Tbsps rice wine vinegar

3 Tbsps fish sauce

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 Thai chile

1 tsp Tellicherry peppercorns, or regular black peppercorns

1 tsp sugar

Halve the cherry tomatoes crosswise and put them into a 16-oz BPA-free deli cup or another heatproof container of roughly the same size.

Put the rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, smashed garlic, peppercorns and sugar into a small saucepan. Slit the Thai chile lengthwise, leaving it whole, and add it to the pan.

Heat gently, stirring occasionally, just until the sugar has completely dissolved. There is no need to bring the mixture to a boil.

Pour the hot pickling liquid, along with the garlic, chile and peppercorns, directly over the tomatoes. Leave uncovered until completely cool, then cover and refrigerate overnight.

Keep refrigerated and spoon out the tomatoes as needed, along with as much or as little of their punchy pickling liquid as you like. Speaking of the pickling liquid: it was a welcome addition to summer brunch Bloody Marys, and a splash of it went a long way in enhancing an ice cold vodka martini.