Four different ways of making delicious onion salads to suit every occasion. These simple onion salads are easy and versatile. You can quickly perk up any dish by adding these as a salad, dip or relish. And there is an option to work for almost every cuisine out there.
In a medium mixing bowl, take the sliced red onions, chopped chili peppers and herbs. Squeeze the juice of one lime and sprinkle salt, chili powder, ground cumin and ground black pepper. Combine all the ingredients very well.
Turkish Onion Relish
Take sliced onions in a mixing bowl and sprinkle salt on top. With the help of a flat rubber spatula press on the onions gently to release some juices (or use your fingers with food safe gloves on). Add sumac, red pepper flakes, parsley and combine very well.
Sweet Onion Vinegar Salad
In a mixing bowl whisk together vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper, until thick and emulsified. Add finely sliced Vidalia onions. Combine very well, top with chopped parsley and refrigerate.
Creamy Onion Salad
In a mixing bowl, whisk together vinegar, honey, salt, pepper, celery seeds and sour cream. Add finely chopped onions or shallots and grated garlic. Combine very well and refrigerate overnight for the flavors to meld together.
Notes
Lower Pungency: To lower the sharp taste of onions, soak the sliced onions in cold water or sprinkle lemon juice or vinegar on top. I did not soak the onions in water, so this is optional.
Slice Onions: Use a mandolin slicer for uniform cuts. Rings might look pretty, but not practical for eating. I cut the onions into halves and then slice them.
Meal Prep: It is best to slice onions fresh. But you can cut them a day ahead. Be sure to store in airtight containers in the refrigerator. You could even store different types of onions in small sandwich bags.
Storage: Turkish and Indian onion salads are best eaten fresh. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for couple days. The vinegar based and creamy salads will keep for about 3 to 4 days in the fridge. These salads are not freezer friendly.
Nutrition facts based on the Indian onion salad only.
For other variations, ingredient notes, recipe FAQs and serving suggestions, scroll up the page to the blog post.