I love onions. Whether it is a big bowl of french onion soup or an onion gravy over a roast or a batch of crispy fried onion rings, I will take some. I am making burgers later and wanted to add onions in some way. I do love caramelized onions over a burger, but I wanted something crispy today, so we are making some crispy fried onion strings. Pile these salty, crispy flavor bombs over your burger and life is good.
Let’s get them started…
You don’t need much to make this delicious onion straws, but you do need about an hour of wait time. Please don’t let that dissuade you though! Soaking your onions in buttermilk is important for several reasons. It tenderizes the onions, draws out any obnoxiousness from their flavor and makes your future batter hold on really well. It is totally worth the time.
Very thinly slice two large yellow onions. Break up the slices and place them into a large bowl with about 2 cups of buttermilk. I usually put my onions in first and then add enough buttermilk to cover most of them. They are only soaking in the buttermilk, so being accurate with this measurement is unnecessary. The only things that is important is that the onions are covered. Let them sit on the countertop for an hour.
While the onions are soaking, combine 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour with 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of chipotle seasoning, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper in a large bowl and set aside.
Bring about 36 ounces of a neutral oil to 375 degrees in a wide skillet.
Using a slotted spoon of mesh spider, gently transfer some of the coated onions into the hot oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. If you see any onions clumping together, stir them a bit to break them apart. Once they are done, use a large slotted spoon or mesh spider to transfer the onions onto paper towel lined plates.
As soon as you pull them out of the oil, sprinkle them with some salt. They will stay more crispy if you don’t stack a bunch of them on top of each other, so I usually set up two or three plates so they can stay spread out while I fry the next batches.
Serve these delicious crispy, golden brown onion straws with ANYTHING! I put them on burgers, chicken sandwiches, use them as a side dish, pile them over a salad, serve them with french onion dip… the list goes on and on. They are so crispy and super flavorful.
Next time you want to make a burger (or anything else) a little extra special, make these!
Crispy Onion Straws
Ingredients
- 2 large yellow onions
- 2-2 1/2 cups buttermilk
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon chipotle seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 36 ounces neutral frying oil (vegetable or canola)
Instructions
- Very thinly slice 2 large yellow onions and place them into a large bowl
- Add enough buttermilk to cover most of the onions (2-2 1/2 cups)
- Let the onions soak for 60 minutes at room temperature
- Combine 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour with 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of chipotle seasoning, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper in a large bowl and set aside
- Place 36 ounces of a neutral frying oil into into a wide skillet and place over medium high heat
- Bring the oil temperature up to 375 degrees
- Use a fork to transfer a few of the buttermilk soaked onions into the flour mixture
- Toss the onions to lightly coat the surface of each onion
- Use a large slotted spoon or a mesh spider to gently transfer the coated onions into the hot oil
- Fry the onions for 2-3 minutes or until they are golden brown and crispy
- Use a large slotted spoon or a mesh spider to transfer the crispy onions onto a paper towel lined plate
- Immediately sprinkle with salt and enjoy