No one can resist an onion straw. Thin slices of onions are marinated in a spicy buttermilk mixture and then tossed in cornmeal and flour. At this point, they can either be fried or baked but both methods result in wonderfully crispy and flavorful onion straws. These are the perfect accompaniment to any burger or sandwich during the summertime.
Buttermilk was originally the liquid byproduct of making butter. Today, buttermilk is made by adding lactic acid to skim milk which, in turn, ferments the milk resulting in buttermilk. This sour milk is not only healthy, but it is extremely tasty. By soaking the onions in buttermilk it, one, helps the breading adhere to the onion and, two, gives the onion a tangy, sweet bite. Buttermilk is available at all grocery stores now, including the local Norfolk Wal-Mart and Farm Fresh.
Don’t have buttermilk at home? Making your own buttermilk is easy! Combine 1 cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Let the milk sit for at least 5 minutes. Viola – buttermilk!
Crispy Onion Straws – Baked or Fried
- 1 whole large yellow onion
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 tbsp hot sauce – or more if you like it hotter
- 1 cup cornmeal
- ½ cup flour
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- Vegetable Oil for frying
- Cooking spray for baking
Begin by slicing the onion into thin ¼ inch rings. In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk and hot sauce; add the sliced onion and toss to coat. Let the onions sit in the buttermilk for at least 30 minutes.
In a large dish, mix the cornmeal, flour, paprika, salt and pepper. Carefully drain the onions and toss, in batches, in the cornmeal mixture. Shake off any excess cornmeal and set aside to either fry or bake.
To Fry:
Place a heavy bottomed pot over medium high heat and fill with 2 ½ - 3 inches of vegetable oil. Heat the vegetable oil to 350 degrees. Working in batches, fry the onions for about 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. Carefully drain and set aside on a paper towel lined dish. Sprinkle with a little salt as soon as they come out of the oil.
To Bake:
Preheat an oven to 425 degrees and place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet. The cooling rack will let the heat of the oven penetrate all sides of the onion making them crispy.
Lay the onions evenly on top of the rack without overcrowding. Liberally spray the onions with cooking spray and place in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until brown and crispy. Sprinkle with salt when they come out of the oven.
So, can you tell which onion straws are baked? The baked onion straws turned out a little bit darker than the fried.
Do you need other side dish recipes? Click on some of the "Related Articles" on the side of the page!
Comments
Terrific. I'll have to try it!
Oh man. Heaven. I think I like a fried onion even better than a fried potato. Thanks, Kristin!
Looks yummy!
Susan Hillman New Orleans Baby and Toddler Gear Examiner
New Orleans Environmental Health Examiner
I will try this and I want to read your other recipes too.
Thats an interesting thing... buttermilk (adding lactic acid).
I dont know if you were aware, but in New Zealand they do NOT have cases of lactose intolerance such as we do abundantly in America.
Why? They do not pasteurize their milk. When our FDA in their ultimate wisdom (sarcasm) mandatorally forced dairy famers to pasteurize, the cases of lactose intolerance in America shot up 1000 fold.
Pastuerization destroys the very enzimes in milk needed to digest it.
Thank you for what promises to be a tasty, healthier food & for providing the information on buttermilk & lactic acid.
Kristin, Your recipes always look so yummy. I had no idea how easy it is to make your own buttermilk either. I've always stayed away from making anything that requires buttermilk because I forget to buy it at the store. Now not only am I going to try my own onion straws (they look so yummy) but now I can do other buttermilk dishes too. Thanks.
Erin Warnecke
Littleton Wedding Planner Examiner
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