Seared Onions That Complete A Dish

I’m making this it’s own post, because often, I have way more onions in the kitchen than anyone should have, and adding a burst of flavor to the top of any dish is never a bad thing.

A bit different than caramelized onions, searing them gives you a lovely balanced of the sweetness that comes from cooking onions, along with the smokiness of a sear and the bite of still raw onion that is only partially softened by the heat.

It’s also colorful and lends a bit of drama to a dish visually.

This easy step is used in a few of my dishes, most recently in the Mangu I made after my travels through the Dominican Republic.

Seared Onions

• 1/2 medium sized onion (I use yellow or Vidalia onion which tends to be a bit sweeter than white, however, play with it to see what suits your taste) sliced in rings
• Extra Virgin Olive oil

1. Use a small pour, not even 1/2 a teaspoon of olive oil into a non stick pan. you just want enough oil at the bottom of the pan to give it a sheen, that’s it.
2. Bring heat to medium high.
3. Add onions in a single layer, move around to spread the oil and then let sit for a few minutes.
4. Check on them regularly, but don’t move the onions until you begin to notice some browning on the bottom sides touching the pan. This should take about 3-5 minutes.
5. Once you get a good color, flip your onion rings over. Leave for another 3-5 minutes.
6. Give them all a little stir, being gentle so as not to break any, continue to cook them for another minute and then remove from heat.
7. Serve on top of Mangu, steaks, sandwiches, mash potatoes, or anything else you can think of to lend an extra splash of flavor.