The Best Blooming Onion Recipe with Homemade Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

• 0.5 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons cream-style horseradish sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 0.33 teaspoon paprika
• 0.33 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 0.25 teaspoon salt
• 0.13 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 1.5 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 0.33 teaspoon dried oregano
• 0.13 teaspoon dried thyme
• 0.13 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 large sweet onion
• 0.75 cup vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

1. Gather all of your ingredients.
2. Prepare the dipping sauce: In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, horseradish, ketchup, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, oregano, and black pepper until thoroughly mixed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. Prepare the wet coating: In a medium bowl, whisk together milk and egg until well combined.
4. Prepare the dry coating: In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, black pepper, oregano, thyme, and cumin. Set both bowls aside.
5. Prepare the onion: Slice off approximately 1 inch from both the top and bottom of the onion. Remove the outer papery skin.
6. Carefully remove a 1-inch diameter core from the center of the onion, ensuring the very bottom of the root end remains intact.
7. Using a large, sharp knife, make a cut down the center of the onion, going about 3/4 of the way down. Rotate the onion 90 degrees and make another slice.
8. Continue slicing each section in half until you have 16 evenly spaced sections, being careful not to cut all the way through the bottom of the onion.
9. Gently spread the "petals" apart to create the blooming effect. (To further separate the petals, you can briefly plunge the onion into boiling water for 1 minute, then immediately transfer it to cold water to halt the cooking process.)
10. Dip the prepared onion into the milk mixture, ensuring it's fully coated. Then, generously coat the onion with the seasoned flour mixture, carefully separating the petals and sprinkling the flour mixture in between each layer.
11. Dip the onion back into the milk mixture for a second coating, and then coat it once more with the flour mixture to ensure every piece is thoroughly covered.
12. Heat oil in a deep fryer or a deep, heavy-bottomed pot to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Ensure you have enough oil to completely submerge the onion during frying. Carefully lower the onion, cut-side up, into the hot oil and fry until it turns a beautiful golden brown, approximately 10 minutes.
13. Remove the onion from the oil and drain on a wire rack or on paper towels to remove excess oil.
14. Open the center of the onion wide enough to accommodate the bowl of dipping sauce. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Nutrition

• Calories: 290 kcal
• Fat Content: 20 g
• Fiber Content: 2 g
• Sugar Content: 4 g
• Sodium Content: 844 mg
• Protein Content: 5 g
• Cholesterol Content: 43 mg
• Carbohydrate Content: 23 g
• Saturated Fat Content: 4 g
• Unsaturated Fat Content: 0 g