Longing for a light, crisp and crunchy onion ring that shatters when you take a bite? These beer-battered rings won’t disappoint.
To keep the process streamlined, set up two disposable pie pans or similar vessels for prepping, and have a Dutch oven or electric skillet, several paper towels, a sheet pan, and a wire rack on hand.
Serving Size: 4 side servings or 5-6 appetizer servings
Ingredients
1 to 2 quarts ice water
2 large or 3 medium sweet onions, such as Vidalia
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup self-rising flour*
1 tsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbls. water
8 oz. (1 cup) pilsner beer, such as Stella Artois
1 to 2 quarts neutral oil, such as canola or peanut oil
Additional salt or seasoning salt such as Tony Chachere’s® or Lawry’s®, as desired
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, add 1 to 2 quarts of ice water.
Peel and slice onions into ½-inch rings (slice them to ¼-inch if you need more servings). Separate the rings and reserve the small, center sections for another use. Soak the onion rings in ice water for at least 20 minutes, or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.
When ready to proceed, drain and dry the rings with paper towels.
Spoon the AP flour into the first pie pan. In the second pan, mix together the SR flour, sugar, and 1 tsp salt. Add the 3 Tbls. water and beer, whisking just until smooth.
Heat oil (at least 2” deep) in a Dutch oven on the stovetop to 375 degrees. (If using an electric skillet, turn the thermostat to 400 degrees.) The oil is ready to use when a drop of batter sizzles and floats to the top. (Test temperature with a candy thermometer if using the stovetop method.)
As the oil heats, dip and coat the rings, one at time, in the batter. Follow this by dredging in the AP flour, and shake off excess. Set rings on a paper towel until oil is hot.
Carefully drop the rings into the oil, and fry in batches of about 4 to 6 rings, turning as each side turns golden brown (about 1-1/2 minutes per side). Drain them on a rack placed atop a baking sheet lined with paper towels.
Sprinkle additional salt or seasoning salt onto the fried rings, and enjoy them as soon as possible.
*If self-rising flour isn’t available, you can substitute it by whisking 1 ½ tsp of baking powder and ½ tsp of salt with 1 cup of all-purpose flour.