Shatter-Crisp Beer-Battered Onion Rings

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Thick-cut sweet onion rings with a craggy, golden crust that actually stays put. The trick is a two-stage coating — a dry flour dust that grips the slippery onion, then an ice-cold beer batter that hits hot oil and puffs on contact. Frying in small batches keeps the oil above 350°F so every ring comes out crackling instead of soggy.

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet onions (Vidalia or Walla Walla), about 1 lb each
• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp hot sauce

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup cold lager or pilsner, plus more as needed
• 1/4 cup cold club soda

• 2 quarts peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
• flaky sea salt, for finishing

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp prepared horseradish
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Peel the onions and slice them crosswise into 1/2-inch rounds — thick rings hold their shape and stay sweet and juicy inside the crust. Push the rings apart and set aside anything smaller than about 2 inches across for another use (save the centers for soup or salsa).
2. Whisk the buttermilk, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and hot sauce in a large bowl. Add the rings, press them under, and soak 20 minutes at room temperature or up to 4 hours in the fridge. The buttermilk tames the raw bite and gives the flour dust something to stick to.
3. Make the dipping sauce: stir mayonnaise, ketchup, horseradish, smoked paprika, Worcestershire, and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until serving.
4. Set up the grip coat: whisk 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1 teaspoon salt, and the garlic powder in a wide shallow dish or on a rimmed baking sheet.
5. Lift the rings from the buttermilk a handful at a time, letting the excess drip off for a few seconds, then toss them in the flour dust until chalky and dry to the touch. Shake off the surplus and lay them on a wire rack. Let them sit 10 minutes — this dry layer is what stops the batter from sliding off in the oil.
6. Pour the oil into a heavy 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven to a depth of 2 1/2 inches and heat over medium-high to 375°F on a clip-on thermometer. Set a clean wire rack over a baking sheet nearby and heat your oven to 200°F for holding.
7. Only once the oil is nearly up to temperature, mix the batter: whisk 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup cornstarch, baking powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, smoked paprika, and black pepper in a bowl, then pour in the cold beer and club soda. Whisk just until it looks like thin pancake batter with a few small lumps — about 15 seconds. It should ribbon off the whisk and coat a ring in a thin, translucent layer; loosen with another splash of cold beer if it's pasty. Do not overmix, and set the bowl in a larger bowl of ice water to keep it under 45°F.
8. Working with 5 or 6 rings at a time, dip a floured ring into the cold batter, lift it out on a fork, let it drip for 2 seconds, and lower it away from you into the 375°F oil. Add the rest of the batch quickly, keeping them from touching.
9. Fry 2 to 3 minutes, flipping once with a spider or tongs at the halfway mark, until deep golden and audibly crisp. Keep the oil between 350°F and 365°F by adjusting the burner — small batches are the whole point, since a crowded pot drops the temperature and the batter drinks oil instead of setting.
10. Lift the rings to the wire rack (not paper towels, which steam the bottoms), season immediately with flaky salt, and slide the sheet into the 200°F oven. Let the oil climb back to 375°F, about 1 minute, before starting the next batch. Continue until all the rings are fried, scooping out stray batter bits between rounds.
11. Pile the rings on a platter, hit them with one more pinch of flaky salt, and serve right away with the smoky dipping sauce.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

South Louisiana Rice Dressing (Dirty Rice)

Dark Roux Seafood Gumbo with Quick Shrimp Stock

One-Skillet Blackened Cajun Chicken Pasta

Are you this recipe's original author or publisher? Report a problem