Blooming Onion seasoned with Shay's Magic Dust

The Blooming Onion with Shay's Magic Dust

The show-stopping Blooming Onion appetiser you're going to want to make for your friends — a whole onion, bloomed open, coated in Shay's Magic Dust and crisped until golden. It looks like it came out of a restaurant kitchen, and it disappears in about ninety seconds. We served ours with Blooming Onion Dip - see recipe below

Serves 4 to share · About 30 min

Ingredients

Blooming Onion

  • 1 large onion (the biggest you can find)
  • 150g plain flour
  • 2 tbsp Shay's Magic Dust
  • 2 large eggs
  • 150ml milk
  • Spray oil (or oil for deep-frying)
  • 1 tbsp Shay's Magic Dust, to finish

Blooming Onion Dip

  • 1 teaspoon Shay's Ranch Dip 
  • 3 Tablespoons Mayo
  • 2 teaspoons horseradish sauce
  • 2 teaspoons ketchup

Method

  1. Prep the onion. Trim the top off and peel away the skin, but leave the root end fully intact — that's what holds the whole thing together. Sit it root-side down.
  2. Cut the bloom. Make 4 cuts down into the onion, going only about 75% of the way down — never through the root. Turn it over and gently open the petals out.
  3. First flour. Mix the flour with the Magic Dust. Sit the onion in and coat well, working it into every petal so nothing is missed.
  4. Egg wash. Whisk the eggs and milk. Dip the onion and coat all over, getting the mix right into the centre.
  5. Second flour & season. Back into the flour for a second coat — use a spoon to push it into every nook and cranny. 
  6. Cook — air fryer. Spray generously all over with oil and finish with a shake of Magic Dust. Cook at 150°C / 300°F for 15–20 minutes until golden and crisp. Air fryers vary, so check from 15 minutes.
  7. Cook — deep-fried (crispest). Or lower into oil at 180°C for 4–6 minutes until deep golden.
  8. Serve. Straight away, with a cool ranch dip in the middle for dunking every petal.

For the Blooming Onion Dip - combine all ingredients - pop into the fridge for 30 minutes and serve. 

Shay's Touch of Magic

The whole trick is the coating getting into every nook. Don't rush it — after the second flour, take a spoon and push it right down into the middle of every petal. That's the difference between a good bloomin' onion and one that makes the table go quiet. And be honest with yourself on the cut: 75% down, never through the root, or the whole thing falls apart. — Shay

A note on crisp: the air-fryer version is lighter and easier, but it won't be quite as crisp as deep-frying — it gets you close. Deep-fry when you want the full showstopper.

Serve with a cool ranch dip — we used Shay's. Get yours here.

Made with Shay's Magic Dust — the everyday blend. Cook bold. Eat well. Share often.

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