Onion Petals with copycat Outback dipping sauce could not be any more crave-worthy. Sweet onion petals are battered and deep fried to a crispy and golden brown, served with signature bloom’ sauce, need I say more?
Make the sauce first by whisking together the mayonnaise, sour cream, ketchup, horseradish, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until serving.
For the onions
Cut the root off of the onion and discard the peel. Cut the onion in half, then into 4ths. Cut the wedges again in half, and set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, seasoned salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cayenne, onion powder, and smoked paprika.
In another medium-sized bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and egg.
Separate the onion petals and place them into a gallon-sized zipper bag. Add ¼ cup of the flour mixture to the bag. Seal the bag and toss the onion petals in the flour.
Taking a handful of the petals at a time, tap off the excess flour. Dip them into the buttermilk mixture. Let any excess drip off.
Add the petals directly to the bowl with the flour mixture and coat them well, tap off any excess.
Place the petals onto a parchment-lined sheet tray and continue coating the rest of the petals.
Heat your deep fryer or large skillet with deep sides with 2 inches of oil to 350°F. Once hot, dry the prepared onion petals for 3-4 minutes until golden brown.
Place the fried petals onto a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any excess oil. Then, place them on a wire rack over a sheet tray while you fry the remaining petals, so they don’t become soggy.
Once all of the petals are done frying, serve them with the sauce and enjoy.
Notes
Add more cayenne or hot sauce to amp up the heat.
This can be frozen before or after frying, see above on how to do that.
This can easily be doubled or tripled.
Use a sweet onion if you can, if not, a white or yellow onion will work.