At long last our PALEO BLOOMING ONION is here! We thought about naming this a “blossoming” onion so it wasn’t exactly the same name as the restaurant variety. After testing and trying it a few times though we decided going with the original name was most appropriate. So a PALEO BLOOMING ONION it is!
Our version is much lighter and we like to think it’s actually healthier! This one is not deep fried and the coating is not nearly as heavily coated as the original. These are big wins since both of those often mean loads of unhealthy ingredients in the coating and being fried in really bad oils.
The coating is flavorful yet also very simple so the amazing flavor of the sweet onion can shine. It is the star of the dish after all, so we think it’s a big win.
The trickiest part of this recipe is really the cutting of the onion. You need to segment it while leaving the root base intact so the petals don’t unattach from the bottom of the onion. Go slow and be patient with your knife skills. You basically need to carefully cut it into sixteenths without getting so close to the base that the outer petals fall off. It may take some practice and here is the good news. If your first try doesn’t work out, dice up that onion and freeze it for your next soup or casserole and try again.
Once you cut the onion, it does become a little delicate, so move it around carefully. Our method for coating it is not traditional since you can’t really shake it around too much or it will fall apart. However, our method also creates that light coating we mentioned previously.
Speaking of that onion, it’s pretty key to grab the sweet variety. Our favorite onion to use for our PALEO BLOOMING ONION is either the Walla Walla or the Vidalia. Most grocery stores carry them and if you don’t see them we always suggest you ask the produce manager to bring them in. Same for any produce you might like to see. Asking them creates interest for those items. Then the store managers know what their customers are wanting to see.
This tasty onioin is best to enjoy right when it’s done. Enjoy when it comes out of the air fryer (or oven) and be prepared for a tasty experience. Perfect game day food as well and if you’ve got a crowd, you WILL need more than one!
a few of the newer recipes added to our blog:
a few of our favorite ingredients used in this recipe:
paleo blooming onion
Course: AppetizersCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy3
servings20
minutes12
minutesLike the resturant variety, but so much BETTER!!
Ingredients
- onion
1 medium sized sweet onion, walla walla or vidalia
3 tbsp cassava flour
¼ tsp fine sea salt
½ cup pork panko (for Whole30, sub crushed potato flakes)
1 tsp Balanced Bites Trifecta seasoning blend, see link above (or garlic powder)
1 tsp fresh chives, finely chopped
1 tsp ground paprika
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tbsp almond milk
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- fry sauce
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup ketchup
Directions
- Remove the papery skin from the onion. Slice off the top of the onion, to create a flat surface, approximately ¼“ down from the stem base. Leave the root base intact, only trimming off any of the dry roots. Then turn the onion over onto a cutting board.
- Using a sharp knife, cutting straight down, carefully cut the onion into quarters without piercing the root. The root base will become the core to hold the “bloom” intact. Next, carefully cut each of those sections in half, giving you 8 sections. Finally, carefully cut those 8 sections in half creating 16 sections. Gently turn the onion over and place it on a flat dinner plate, letting the petals open. You can use your fingers to fan them out if gravity doesn’t take care of that for you.
- In a small bowl, mix up the flour and salt until combined. Using your fingers, sprinkle the flour and salt mixture over the onion fanning out the petals to ensure an even coating. Carefully shake off any excess flour and place the onion in a deep bowl, root side down. Discard any remaining flour on the plate and in the small bowl. Add the panko, trifecta blend, chives and paprika to this small bowl and toss to coat, then set aside.
- Whisk the eggs, almond milk and lemon juice in a mug/cup till well incorporated. Pour the egg mixture over the onion into the deep bowl. Using a large spoon (and your fingers) coat the onion with the egg mixture opening up the petals to ensure even coating. Do this until you feel like you’ve got the petals evenly coated. Using a large spatula, carefully remove the onion from the deep bowl, allowing any excess egg to drip off and then place the onion on the plate.
- Sprinkle the panko coating over the onion, fanning out the petals again to make sure you get a good coating. Using up extra that has fallen onto the plate, repeating the coating process until petals are lightly coated.
- Spray the air fryer basket with avocado oil (or if your basket is non-stick you may not need to) and using the same large spatula, carefully move the coated onion to the basket. Spray the onion generously with more avocado oil. Air Fry at 385°F for 10-12 minutes or until tips are golden brown. Alternatively you can bake in a 400°F oven on a parchment lined baking sheet for around 20-22 minutes.
- While the onion bakes, mix together the mayonnaise and ketchup in a small bowl, stirring well to combine. Once the onion is done (pierce with a sharp knife point to check) and those tips have a nice golden color, carefully remove the onion to a serving platter, and sprinkle with additional paprika if desired and serve with fry sauce. Best enjoyed immediately!
Pingback: paleo tuna helper paleo tuna helper - Back Porch Paleo