Beet pickling and curing: Add instant colour and drama to a dish

9Kitchen shows just how easy and effective this beet-staining technique is.

Anyone who's ever walked around with magenta marbled hands for days after a beet cooking mishap knows all too well the staining potency of this humble root veg, but savvy cooks have been using this shortcoming to their advantage for a while now.

The beet pickling and curing trend is, quite simply, great for giving white or pale-hued foods a brilliant splash of magenta.

For those looking to brighten up a dish without the use of artificial colourings, the beet contains a natural pigment known as betacyanins betalain that can be harnessed as a food dye, and it's being used to great effect in many dishes of the moment.

From beet pickled eggs to beet cured fish, with all manner of mauve-fringed morsels popping up on our social feeds we couldn't resist highlighting the trend.

9Kitchen caught up with Sofia Levin, one of the talented home cooks vying for the top title in the Luke Mangan Search for a CEO (Culinary Experience Officer) competition, to chat more about the luscious beet cured kingfish salad dish that cemented her place in the finals (get the full recipe, here), and for  her take on the trend.

"Curing with beetroot is one of the easiest and most visually appealing techniques—all you have to do is whiz the ingredients in a blender, allow your dish to rest overnight in the cure and then reap the rewards," Levin says.

Levin used the technique commendably on the delicate kingfish featured in her competition dish, adding drama and depth to its pearly flesh that contrasted beautifully with the dill, caviar and glistening orange segments.

How to make beet-pickled eggs

What you'll need:
6x hard-boiled eggs 
½ cup vinegar
½ cup water
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1x beetroot, grated

Place all ingredients except eggs into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. 

Peel the hard boiled eggs and place into a jar. Cover with the beet pickle liquid, seal and leave in the fridge overnight.

Once steeped overnight, slice and serve the eggs as a finish to your favourite salads etc.

Note- for a marbled effect simply crack the hard-boiled egg shells all over, but do not peel.

Make your beetroot picking liquid and steep your boiled eggs overnight.

Peel the eggs the following day and serve.

Check out more artful beet pickled and cured creations shared on Instagram below.