Crispy Buttermilk Onion Strings with Cajun Remoulade

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Onions sliced whisper-thin on a mandoline, soaked in tangy buttermilk, tossed through cayenne-spiked flour and fried hot and fast until they collapse into shatteringly crisp tangles. Pile them on burgers and steaks, or serve them in a paper-lined basket with cold Cajun remoulade for dipping.

Ingredients

• 2 large yellow onions (about 1 1/2 lb)
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 tsp hot sauce, such as Crystal or Tabasco
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 6 cups peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
• flaky salt, for finishing

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp Creole or whole-grain mustard
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp dill pickle relish or minced cornichons
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp prepared horseradish
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• 1 tsp Cajun or Creole seasoning
• 1 tbsp thinly sliced scallion
• 1/2 tsp hot sauce

Instructions

1. Make the remoulade first: in a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, Creole mustard, ketchup, relish, lemon juice, horseradish, grated garlic, Cajun seasoning, scallion, and hot sauce. Taste and add more hot sauce or lemon as you like. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes (up to 3 days) so the flavors bloom.
2. Trim the root and stem ends of the onions and peel them. Slice crosswise into rings no thicker than 1/16 inch — use a mandoline set to its thinnest setting, or a very sharp knife and a patient hand. Separate the rings into individual strings with your fingers, discarding the tiny centers.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the buttermilk with 1 teaspoon hot sauce. Add the onion strings, press to submerge, and soak 15 to 30 minutes at room temperature (or up to 4 hours refrigerated). The buttermilk softens the onion's bite and gives the flour something to grab.
4. In a wide shallow dish or a large paper bag, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, sea salt, paprika, garlic powder, black pepper, and cayenne.
5. Pour the oil into a heavy 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven to a depth of about 2 inches. Clip on a deep-fry or instant-read thermometer and heat over medium-high to 375°F. Set a wire rack over a sheet pan next to the stove.
6. Working with a loose handful at a time, lift onions from the buttermilk, letting the excess drip off for a few seconds, then drop them into the seasoned flour. Toss and rake with your fingers so every strand is coated and separated, then lift out and shake off the loose flour in a sieve or your hands.
7. Scatter the floured onions into the oil in a thin, loose layer — no more than a large handful per batch, or they'll clump and steam. Fry 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes, stirring gently with a spider or slotted spoon after the first 30 seconds to keep them from fusing, until deep golden and the bubbling slows.
8. Lift the strings out, drain briefly, and spread them on the wire rack. Season immediately with flaky salt while they're glistening. Let the oil climb back to 375°F between batches — this is the single most important thing for crispness — and repeat with the remaining onions, about 5 to 6 batches total.
9. Pile the onion strings into a paper-lined basket or bowl and serve right away with the cold remoulade alongside, or heap them onto burgers, steaks, or pulled pork sandwiches.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

More from Sprig Originals

Char-Grilled Oysters with Garlic-Worcestershire Butter

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