Caribbean Style Caramelized Onions

Learn how to slowly bring out the natural rich sweetness of onions while cooking them up in some tomato, herbs and additional spices. This style  yields a Caribbean flare to it and a great way to add some spicy caramelized onions to almost any recipe.

Caramelized onions when cooked the right way are delicious, so rich with flavour and compliment almost any savoury dish.

This recipe shows you have to yield that sweet taste from the onions and how to add some additional ingredients for a Caribbean twist.

Who doesn't love caramelized onions? I mean who seriously doesn't? I'm crazy about onions. If you have been following my recipes especially my savoury dishes then you will know that I include onions is almost all of my dishes.

I love consuming onions but caramelized onions are on another level.

When I make them I always do a huge batch and top them on all my dishes especially when I'm doing a big freeze down for prep day.

If you are new to my blog, don't forget to check out my article which covers gluten and dairy free blogging from a Caribbean perspective called Caribbean Foodie 101.

Good Caramelized Onions

The key to making great caramelized onions is time and a bit of patience. The browning of the onions is what makes the overall process so time consuming.

Many people simply don't have the patience to stand there and occasionally stir the onions.

I'm not judging anyone because I do understand. Granted, you need about 45 minutes of your time, however the end results are sooooooooo worth it though.

As the onions are cooked over a period of time. The natural occurring sugars are released, causing the onions to turn a deep rich brown colour. The browning process intensifies the onions sweetness resulting in amazing flavour.

What Are The Best Onions To Caramelize

I personally prefer to use spanish onions because they are much convenient to use due to their size (one gigantic onion fills the whole pan) plus they are sweet and juicy.

Red onions are a great choice as well and tend to be a bit sharper in taste.

White onions are also another great choice, though I don't find them to be as sweet as the aforementioned.

Ways to Use Caramelized Onions

• Toppings i.e pizza
• Toast
• Stews
• Chillis
• Fish and poultry
• Soup
• On it's own!

The Caribbean Approach

While the actually process of caramelizing onions is not Caribbean, adding some of those ingredients gives it a more island flare.

Caribbean people are very passionate about "cooking up" onions until brown and adding them to meat and seafood dishes especially fish recipes.

This is the reason why I came up with this recipe, to dedicate an entire post to caramelizing and cooking up your onions.

If you want to do both or maybe one over the other, then this recipe will be your blue print forever.

I added some browning sauce to my recipe simply to make it more culturally appropriate this is an optional step.

If you don't want to include or don't have any browning sauce it's no big deal.

The recipe will work regardless!

Ingredients Needed

• Onion: I used Spanish but other onions work too!
• Browning:Not crucial but I use it for additional colour and more of a Caribbean flare
• Water: Rehydrate the pan and to prevent the onions from sticking/burning
• Tomato: I used fresh chopped tomatoes, don't use pureed!!
• Black pepper: Just a small amount of black pepper is all that is needed
• Thyme: Fresh or dried sprigs of thyme work, it really doesn't matter!
• Pink salt: the salt helps to remove some of that moisture
• Hot pepper sauce: Adds a hint of spiciness!

How to caramelize and cook up your onions (Caribbean style)

• Peel the onion(s), slice in half and make vertical slices on both onion halves

• On medium heat melt and coat the bottom of a shallow skillet with the dairy free butter and oil.
• Add your onions to the pan and proceed to saute them
• Evenly distribute the onions in the pan and let them sit for a few minutes before stirring them again.
• If your stove top cooks quite hot then you may need to adjust the heat to medium-low

• After 10 minutes, sprinkle in some pink salt and a splash of browning (if you are using it).

• Let the onions cook for about 40 minutes or until the take on a rich brown hue, stirring every few minutes allowing the onions to stick a little so they brown and using a spatula to scrape off that caramelization. If the onions seems like they are burning then replenish with a splash of water and repeat this cycle.

• Once the onions have caramelized add the tomatoes, thyme leaves, black pepper, hot sauce.

• Let the onions cook down further for another 5-10 minutes

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I freeze Any leftover Onions?

Yes, be sure to freeze the onions down in either a secure ziplock bag or a freezer friendly container. You don't want the onions to develop freezer burn so make sure whatever you use is locks tightly.

How Long Can I Refrigerate The Onions for?

I would refrigerate for up to 4 days maximum.

Why Are My Onions Burning?

There are a few reasons as to why this could be happening; the temperature is too high. Each stovetop is unique and some are more powerful than others.

If your onions are burning reduce the flame. Also, keep the heat level consistent, don't be tempted to turn up the flame, this may cause your onions to burn.

Notes and Tips

• Cut the onions vertically as they will hold their shape much better.
• Make sure the onions are not sliced thinly as they are more likely to wilt and burn very quickly. About ⅛ inch or slightly thicker is desirable.
• Use a combination of butter and oil. Butter tends to burn a lot quicker, using both is a healthy balance with a high smoke point.
• Don't overcrowd the pan because you run the risk of producing more water which will steam your onions making them take longer to caramelize. My 28cm skillet manages to hold one giant Spanish onion.
• Keep the temperature constant where possible, avoid high heat. The heat should be medium or medium low depending on how hot your stove gets. You don't want your onions to burn.
• Make sure to de-glaze your onions with water if they look like they are burning and re-hydrate them if needed.
• Don't remove the onions from the pan too early, allow them to soften and caramelize for at least 30 minutes, try to resist the urge to cut corners.

Recipe To Use These Onions In

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Caribbean Style Caramelized Onions

Learn how to caramelize onions and cook them up Caribbean style

5 from 6 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Caribbean

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 46kcal

Author: Charla

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 large Spanish onion or 5-6 regular onions, yellow, red, white etc..
• ▢ 1 tablespoon dairy free butter
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil or coconut oil
• ▢ 4 sprigs thyme stems removed
• ▢ 2 medium tomato chopped
• ▢ 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 tablespoon homemade browning sauce optional and see recipe for link
• ▢ ½ teaspoon pink salt
• ▢ hot sauce to taste

Instructions

• Peel the onion(s), slice in half and make vertical slices on both onions halves
  
  
• On medium heat melt and coat the bottom of a shallow skillet with the dairy free butter and oil.
  
  
• Add your onions to the pan and proceed to saute them
  
  
• Evenly distribute the onions in the pan and let them sit for a few minutes before stirring them again. If your stove top cooks quite hot then you may need to adjust the heat to medium-low
  
  
  
  
• After 10 minutes, sprinkle in some pink salt and a splash of browning (if you are using it).
  
  
• Let the onions cook for about 40 minutes or until they take on a rich brown hue, stirring every few minutes allowing the onions to stick a little so they brown and using a spatula to scrape off that caramelization. If the onions seems like they are burning then replenish with a splash of water and repeat this cycle.
  
  
  
• Once the onions have caramelized add the tomatoes, thyme leaves, black pepper, hot sauce. 
  
  
• Let the onions cook down further for another 5-10 minutes
  
  

Notes

• Cut the onions vertically as they will hold their shape much better.
• Make sure the onions are not sliced thinly as they are more likely to wilt and burn very quickly. About ⅛ inch or slightly thicker is desirable.
• Use a combination of butter and oil. Butter tends to burn a lot quicker, using both is a healthy balance with a high smoke point.
• Don't overcrowd the pan because you run the risk of producing more water which will steam your onions making them take longer to caramelize. My 28cm skillet manages to hold one giant Spanish onion.
• Keep the temperature constant where possible, avoid high heat. The heat should be medium or medium low depending on how hot your stove gets. You don't want your onions to burn.
• Make sure to de-glaze your onions with water if they look like they are burning and re-hydrate them if needed.
• Don't remove the onions from the pan too early, allow them to soften and caramelize for at least 30 minutes, try to resist the urge to cut corners.

Nutrition

Calories: 46kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 163mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 280IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg

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