Marinated onions are awesome. The recipe is simple no matter the style you want- thinly sliced onions and marinated them in a mixture of vinegar and seasonings with just a touch of sweetness. I made some delicious marinated yellow onions to top my Vietnamese Shaking Beef Salad. I plan on playing around with the recipe a bit to make different styles. I usually use marinated onions on salads but they would be equally great on sandwiches or on a appetizer tray- think olives, pickles, meats, veggies and maybe some dips.
Quick Marinated Red Onions
Date paste of 1 date
½ cup white wine vinegar
¼ cup water
1 red onion thinly sliced into rings
Salt and pepper to taste
- Soak the date in a little hot water to soften. Once softened, drain the excess water. Blend with a stick blender or in blender to get a smooth paste.
As a note: I usually blend a batch of dates, usually 8-10 per time and store the finished paste in an airtight container in my refrigerator. When I have a recipe that needs date paste I usually measure about a Tablespoon per date needed in the recipe. Of course you can adjust the sweetness of any recipe by either adding more or leaving a little out.
- Combine the date paste, vinegar, water, salt, & pepper. Mix well to incorporate the dates into the liquid.
- Add the onions and make sure to coat well with the vinegar.
Place into the refrigerator and let marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
Here they are on a Mediterranean Grilled Chicken Salad.
As you can see if you compare the color of the onions shown on the salad versus the picture of the onions by themselves- the longer the onions marinate the more the color changes from purplish on the outside and white on the inside to a uniform pink color. The picture with just the onions had been marinating about 2-3 days before I took the picture. The onions on the salad were only marinating about 45 minutes before I took the picture. They taste great either way.