Blooming Onion (+14 Super Bowl Snacks)

Tonight, we bring to you something new and exciting just in time for tomorrow’s big game: a paleo blooming onion! It’s one of our more involved recipes—be sure to have a friend on hand to help—we think it is worth the effort. Who needs a restaurant when you’ve got this recipe?!

We appreciate that fried foods are traditionally not regular parts of our everyday diet, but for special occasions, tapioca starch is really a great product that gets the job done with minimal negative properties. Sarah, over at The Paleo Mom, has done a nice write-up of different paleo baking ingredients. Check that out for more info, or just follow along for the recipe—be sure to follow along to the bottom for over a dozen other Super Bowl worthy recipes!

Ingredients
1 large sweet onion (Vidalia or Spanish)
1 can of full fat coconut milk
1 C tapioca starch
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cayenne
2 pinches salt
2 pinches pepper
3 large eggs
10 cups extra light olive oil (or other frying oil)

dip
coconut milk (leftover from onion prep)
1 1/2 C homemade mayonnaise
1 tsp coconut aminos
1 tsp celery salt
1 Tbsp green onions, finely chopped

Method

Cut off the top of the onion, flip it over and make 12 cuts about one-half inch from the root down the sides to create the blooming onion effect.

Place the onion into a large bowl and pour the can of coconut milk over it. Allow it to soak for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the tapioca starch, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne, salt and pepper together in a medium-sized bowl. Then, sift into a large, shallow bowl. Also, bring oil in a large dutch oven or pot to approximately 350° F over medium to medium-high heat.

Remove onion from coconut milk and set it into the bowl with the dry mixture. Coat it lightly allow it to sit briefly while you mix 1 cup of the coconut milk (left over from soaking the onion), the mayo, celery salt, coconut amines, green onions in a medium-sized bowl to make the dipping sauce. Place the sauce into the refrigerator to set.

Next, move the onion into a large bowl. The eggs and pour over the onion. Wash the onion completely with the egg, gently working it in between the petals of the onion.

Return the egg-washed onion to the dry ingredients. Coat it thoroughly, working the dry mixture in between the petals of the onion just as you did with the egg.

With a long-handled, slotted spoon or spatula, lower the onion very carefully into the oil, top side down. Allow it to cook for 60 seconds.

Flip the onion over gingerly. Cook for about 5 minutes, until golden.

Remove onion from the oil and place on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil. While it cools for just a couple of minutes, remove the bowl of dipping sauce and pour some of it into a small serving dish.