Parmesan Fried Onion
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 4 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 4 servings
- Calories
- 712
- Total Fat
- 50
- Saturated Fat
- 8
- Carbohydrates
- 50
- Dietary Fiber
- 3
- Sugar
- 9
- Protein
- 18
- Cholesterol
- 112
- Sodium
- 703
- Total: 35 min
- Active: 35 min
Ingredients
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia
Chopped fresh Italian parsley, for garnish
Mayonnaise, for dunking
Directions
Special equipment:
a deep-fry thermometer; a spider- Fill a large pot or Dutch oven with enough oil to submerge the onion, with space around the sides for it to "bloom." (You might need up to a gallon, depending on the size of your onion, but don't worry; you can strain the oil and use it again for frying, so it won't go to waste.) Preheat to 400 degrees F.
- Combine the milk, eggs, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Combine the flour, Parmesan, paprika, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of pepper in a large bowl. Toss with a fork to combine.
- Cut off the top of the onion and place cut-side down. Think of the onion as the face of a clock, and cut slits at noon, 3, 6 and 9, cutting almost but not quite to the center of the onion. You'll now have 4 quadrants. Cut 3 more slits in each quadrant, once again cutting almost but not quite to the center of the onion. Flip the onion and gently separate the "petals" with your fingers.
- Put the onion in the flour mixture and sprinkle it over and around to coat, gently separating the petals as needed to completely coat it.
- Put the onion in the egg wash and coat evenly in the egg, opening the petals again as needed. Let the excess egg wash drip back in the bowl.
- Put the onion in the flour once more and sprinkle it over and around to coat, making sure to keep the petals as separate as you can.
- Use a large spider to lower the onion, cut-side up, into the hot oil. The temperature of the oil will immediately begin to drop. Adjust the heat so the oil stays around 350 to 360 degrees F for the remainder of frying. With a fork, separate the petals a bit more, if needed. Fry the onion until the tips are golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Use the spider to gently flip the onion and continue to fry until the entire onion is crisp, deep golden and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes more. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Transfer the onion while still hot to a serving plate. Season with salt and pepper. Shower with chopped parsley and grated Parmesan. Serve with mayo for dunking.