If you love green bean casserole, you know crispy fried shallots are a must. Fortunately, learning how to fry shallots is so easy. This fried shallots recipe will give you the basics on how to achieve the crispiest shallot possible.
This crispy fried shallots recipe is more of a simple how-to than a recipe, but it’s worth learning how to fry your own shallots at home.
One benefit to making them at home is that you can use more sustainable ingredients. Many major brands use palm oil which is devastating wildlife environments around the world. If you want to fry your shallots in palm oil, be sure to pick Certified Sustainable Palm Oil. Otherwise, use your favorite neutral oil–or even olive oil but–be mindful of the smoke point.
How to fry shallots:
Frying shallots really is beyond easy. There are a few things to keep in mind:
- The shallots: Be sure to slice them very thinly, about 1/8” thickness. Use either a sharp knife or a mandoline if you have one.
- The oil: Use a neutral oil with a somewhat high smoke point. I use avocado oil though olive oil or even plain vegetable or canola oil would work just fine as well.
First, slice all the shallots and add them to a saucepan. Cover them with oil. You want to start with cold oil because it allows all the shallots to arrive at the same crispy destination around the same time. Turn the heat to medium and allow the oil to bubble and sizzle the shallots.
Now, when I say shallots go from raw to done in almost record time, I mean it. I will also add that this almost always happens the minute you’re not watching them. You’ll check them, check them, check them with no change, and then you’ll notice a tiny bit of browning and then before you know it, boom. They’re done!
I recommend that once you start to see the first few shallots turning, begin stirring them regularly as they cook and keep them moving in the hot oil. Once all of the shallots are golden brown, immediately turn off the heat and transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate. Trust me, as quickly as the shallots go from raw to done, they go from golden brown to burnt even faster. As soon as they’re golden, get them out of the oil immediately!
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How-To: Crispy Fried Shallots
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Mandoline, if you have one
Ingredients
- 10 shallots approximately 1 pound; peeled and thinly sliced in rings
- Neutral oil
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
Start the shallots:
- Place the shallots in the sauce pan and pour in oil to just barely cover them.
Sizzle the shallots:
- Turn the heat to medium and cook, turning the shallots occasionally, for 6–8 minutes until they just begin to turn golden brown in places.
- As the shallots continue to deepen in color, continue stirring more frequently, turning them frequently in the hot oil. Continue on for an additional 1–3 minutes or until all the shallots are deep golden brown. Precise timing will depend on the heat on your stovetop, so keep a close eye on the shallots and continue turning them until golden brown.
To serve:
- Immediately use a slotted spoon to transfer the hot shallots to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt.
- The leftover oil can be transferred to a heat-proof container and refrigerated for several weeks. It can be used as a finishing oil or whisked into salad dressings.
Just thought I’d ask …. Can you fry the shallots the night before?? 🤪
Yes! Keep them in an airtight container on the counter, though!
Yummy!
What did I do wrong? They browned a little but then the whole thing started foaming and I had to turn it off. I used avocado oil on medium heat and I started with cold oil. Had to refry them in fresh oil
I’ve had this happen with avocado oil before too! It’s usually a result of degradation. Since you used fresh avocado oil, it’s not because the oil was old or dirty. But this can still happen if the avocado oil gets too hot too fast, it’ll foam and bubble. It’s really annoying! So sorry that happened to you!