Chili Onion Rings

By á-49759

Ingredients

• 2 –3 large onions, sliced and separated into rings
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 11/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 quart peanut or vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• Pepper
• 1 teaspoon chili powder, or if you like it hot, cayenne pepper

Preparation

Step 1

In a medium bowl, mix buttermilk with approximately 1 teaspoon sea salt and a bit of black pepper. Add onions and let rest in buttermilk for at least 15 minutes or up to a few hours.
In another bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and chili powder or cayenne pepper.
When you’re ready to fry the onions, preheat oven to 200 degrees and line a cookie sheet with paper towels. Heat the oil in a large pot (I use a tall, deep soup pot, which helps limit the splattering) to 350 degrees. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pot to make sure the oil reaches the right temperature before you begin frying and doesn’t get too hot as you cook. Working in batches, dredge the onions in the flour, shake off the excess, and fry. They’ll only take a couple of minutes, so watch them carefully and be sure to turn them over with tongs about halfway through so they get golden brown on both sides.
As you finish each batch of onion rings, place them on the cookie sheet and pop them into the oven so they’ll stay crisp and warm until they’re all fried. They’ll stay crisp in the oven for up to 30 minutes.