Fried Onion Flower With Sauce

The fried onion flower is a very striking appetizer that you can find in some restaurants. It has a very classy appearance and looks exactly how it tastes. However, you can easily make it without leaving home and give your dinner a sophisticated touch. You can also use it as an aperitif at a party: it will fascinate your guests.

Usually accompanied by sauces, generally tartar, mayonnaise or tomato sauce, the fried onion flower owes its name to the way it is cut, resembling a lotus flower. This recipe is very easy to prepare and contains ingredients that you surely have in your kitchen.

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil
• 1 large onion
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of flour
• Pepper, paprika, oregano.

Preparation

Preparation is not difficult. You just have to take care that the cuts do not go through the onion, because you will divide it into parts and it will not work for the recipe.

• First, remove the top layer of the onion, removing the skin. Make an X-shaped cut that goes from the tip to 1 centimeter from the base. Remember that you should not cut the entire onion, the base must be intact. Keep repeating this X-cut procedure, turning the onion. In a large one, you will get up to 14 cuts.
• Then, once all the cuts have been made, remove the center of the onion. Separate each of the petals, opening them like a flower.
• Then, in a pot, put the oil to preheat. Remember that it should be enough to submerge the whole onion. It is best to do it at a medium-high temperature, so it will be ready when you fry your onion.
• Then, pass the onion through the egg and flour. Take care that the flour covers all the petals, even if you have to do it manually.

• Subsequently, put the onion in the oil and let it brown enough for the flour to set. This shouldn’t take more than 30 seconds, otherwise the onion will start to burn. Once the flour has set, lower the heat to a minimum and let the onion fry for 8 to 10 minutes.
• When it has browned, remove it from the oil and raise the heat again, this time to the maximum. Wait for it to reach the maximum temperature and put the onion in again for another 20 seconds.
• Then, when the 20 seconds have passed,  drain the onion on a paper towel, to remove excess oil.
• Finally, season the fried onion flower. Serve with tomato sauce, mayonnaise, or tartar.

Additional tips

• Another way to present this dish is to prepare several small onions and arrange them in a round tray, around a large container of the sauce that you have prepared.

• Also, a very useful trick for this recipe is that once you have removed the center, take the onion to a container with water and ice for a few minutes. This will make it a bit stiff so it won’t break when you handle it later. Do not do this before cutting the onion, as it will make it difficult to do so.

• In addition, you can use the seasonings that you prefer, just remember that you must mix them very well and do not overdo it so that they do not saturate the flavor of the onion.

• By reintroducing the onion, in addition to browning it, you will be able to expel the extra oil that it has accumulated.

• On the other hand, making the tartar sauce to accompany the fried onion flower is very easy. You just need to mix mayonnaise, an egg, chopped capers, parsley, pickles and a little mustard. Stir everything very well until you have a creamy sauce.