Ground sumac is a spice popular in Middle Eastern and Mediterranian cooking. It has a mild flavor and doesn’t overpower dishes the way some other strong spices do.
Sumac is used in rubs, marinades, soups, salad dressings, or can just be sprinkled on top of a ready dish. Sumac is not only delicious, but it also has some antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties.
This sumac onions recipe is very versatile. Here are a few ways you can customize the recipe and adapt it to your own taste:
- Skip the parsley and just serve the onions mixed with the other ingredients;
- Marinate the onions in lemon juice instead of red wine vinegar;
- If you don’t like the acidic taste, don’t marinate the onions and just add a tablespoon of red wine vinegar or lemon juice to the mixture;
- If you like it spicy, add some cayenne pepper to the onions.
How to Make Sumac Onions:
***Please scroll down to see the step-by-step photos!***
Step 1. Thinly slice the onion and place it into a bowl.
I wish I could tell you how to slice it without crying like crazy but, unfortunately, I don’t know the secret. I’ve heard that you should put the onion in the fridge first, wash it under cold water before cutting, and have a really sharp knife.
I am sure all of these tips help somewhat but I still can’t cut an onion without running to the bathroom to wash my face at least 3 times. If you know the secret, please share with me.
Step 2. Pour boiling water over the onions making sure they are covered. This step will help to make the onions less strong and soften them a bit. Soak the onions in the hot water for about 10 minutes.
Step 3. Drain the onions and pat them with a paper towel. It’s fine if they are still damp, just remove the excess water.
Step 4. Add 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar to the onions and mix them well. You can also use lemon juice if you don’t have red wine vinegar on hand.
Let the onions marinate for 5 to 10 minutes, making sure to stir them a few times. The longer you leave them in the vinegar the more acidic they will taste. If you don’t like them to be acidic, you can skip this step and just add 1 tablespoon of the red wine vinegar at the end.
Step 5. Drain the vinegar leaving about 1 teaspoon in the bowl.
Step 6. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.
Place the onions in the fridge for about 30 minutes. This will help to cool them down if they are still warm and will also help to combine the flavors.
More Recipe Ideas for the BBQ Season:
- Peach Salsa with a Secret Ingredient
- Yogurt Marinated Chicken Kebabs
- Mediterranean Roasted Eggplant Salad
- New Potato Salad with Tomatoes and Dill
How To Make Sumac Onions
Learn how to make sumac onions. This popular Middle Eastern condiment will add savory flavors to your meat, fish, wrap, or veggie and grain bowl. A very easy recipe.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins (plus 30 minutes for cooling in the fridge)
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 5 portions 1x
- Category: Appetizer, Condiment, Salad
- Method: Marinate
- Cuisine: Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 large red onion
- hot water
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 3/4 to 1 cup chopped parsley, loosely packed
- 1 Tbsp ground sumac
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Thinly slice the onion and place it into a bowl.
- Pour boiling water over the onions making sure they are covered. Soak the onions for about 10 minutes.
- Drain the onions and pat them with a paper towel.
- Add 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar to the onions and mix them well. Let the onions marinate for 5 to 10 minutes, making sure to stir them a few times.
- Drain the vinegar leaving about 1 teaspoon in the bowl.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Place the onions in the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
1. The longer you leave the onions in the vinegar the more acidic they will taste. If you don’t like them to be acidic, you can skip this step and just add 1 tablespoon of the red wine vinegar at the end.
2. The onions taste great the next day, however, the parsley will wilt a bit so if you want to prepare it in advance you can make the onions a day ahead and then add the parsley before serving.
3. Nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1 serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/5 of recipe
- Calories: 43
- Sugar: 1.5g
- Sodium: 65.8mg
- Fat: 3g
- Saturated Fat: 0.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 4.1g
- Fiber: 1.1g
- Protein: 0.8g
- Cholesterol: 0g
Keywords: sumac onion salad, sumac onion and parsley salad, sumac onion recipe, sumac red onions, sumac marinated onions
I wear swimming goggles while cutting onions! I just keep a pair in my kitchen drawer.
I accidentally found the secret of the no tears onion chopping this evening. I was making my homemade Korean BBQ sauce and started tearing up while chopping. I remembered that stick it in the fridge trick and thought this would be a good time to try it. Buuutttttt, I was impatient and in a hurry. Sooooo I stuck them in th e freezer. My 10 yr old then had 15 million requests while I was trying to get the rest of dinner ready and kinda forgot they were In the freezer till I got to that part of the recipe to add them. Boy did I feel foolish. I rushed to the freezer to get them, and they had only slightly frozen to about the consistency you would freeze meet if you wanted to slice it really thin. Again I was being impatient and decided to try cutting them up anyway. Low and behold perfectly diced onions with NO tears!! I know I’ll be doing that from now on.
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Hi Tanya! Thanks so much for sharing! This sounds interesting. If freezing them slightly doesn’t affect the taste, then it’s great.
Before chopping onions, start chewing sum gum and continue to chew it till all onions are done. I peel and chop 4kgs onions to make my chutney so I can say it works 😉
4 kgs of onions! Wow! I could never do that. Chewing gum sounds easy enough. I am going to try that 🙂
If you wear skiing goggles it prevents you from crying while cutting onions. Though you’ll look funny…
This is hilarious! Just picturing myself in the kitchen wearing goggles. OMG! But yes, that might actually work. Thank you for sharing 🙂
What a gorgeous, fresh dish. These would be the best topper to so many dishes!
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I am a fan of Middle Eastern cuisine and in turn sumac, but rarely ever cook with it. These would be wonderful piled into wraps, or on pizza.!!
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I love onions so I think I would totally just eat this on it’s own as a salad. This looks like such a beautiful way to serve onions!
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Yum. Would you say the sumac onions pair better with lamb and beef over fish?
Good question! I think it pairs well with both. Probably better with fatty fish such as salmon. I’ve also added it to wraps and grain bowls. It just adds so much flavor to any savory dish.
In the Middle East we serve sumac onions with a dish called Mlokheia, but we usually just slice an onion and add lemon juice, sumac, and olive oil. I crave it all the time!