Fried Onions Should Be on Your Spring Vegetables
If you grew up in the United States, fried onions are most likely inextricably linked in your mind with green bean casserole. It’s a great holiday dish, all beige and creamy, but not great for spring or summer when food is plentiful and fresh green beans are in full swing. However, French-style fried onions are available all year round. Break free from the colonial mindset associated with fried onions and use fried onions (and shallots) on fresh spring produce.
Whether you roast them yourself or buy them from the French, fried onions add texture, salt, and sweet, deep umami to a dish. It’s the perfect topping for a creamy casserole, but even better they’re topped with a simple spring vegetable saute. Instead of drowning the beans in sticky cream or something else, blanch and fry them in oil, then sprinkle with fried onions just before serving. Then do the same with asparagus and then try it with fresh oily peas. When you’re done with butter, move on to raw foods.
Slice the asparagus thinly, toss with your favorite vinaigrette, then add a handful of fried onions for a crunchy, tangy flavor. Throw a few handfuls into a broccoli salad, asparagus salad ( broccoli salad style ), or any other salad, no matter which springtime piece you choose. Think of them like breadcrumbs, only better because they’re made from onions. They also add incredible crunch to a veggie sandwich, avocado toast, or a bowl of hummus .
You can fry onions or shallots in vegetable oil (or take shortcuts with a microwave or deep fryer ), but no one will blame you for buying a bath of pre-fried French food. They are classics for a reason (reason is that frying is annoying and French has this name blocked).