Turkish Onions are what's going to elevate your Middle Eastern dishes from great to ah-mazing!
Super easy to make, Turkish onions are simply sliced red onions lightly marinated in lemon juice and olive oil combined with sumac and fresh parsley.
Not too fussed on that raw onion flavour? I've got a suggestion to tone down that raw taste too.
This Turkish onion salad is the best way to add some crunch and texture to Middle Eastern dishes like fatteh or these lamb adana kebabs.
Turkish sumac onions also make a great addition to a meze platter too.
Table of Contents
Why you will love Turkish onions
- Quick and easy side dish.
- Tastes great.
What you need to make Turkish onions
- red onions (Spanish/purple onions)
- sumac - a lemony, tart-tasting powdered spice
- fresh lemon juice
- olive oil
- fresh parsley
- salt
*Please see the recipe card below for exact quantities and detailed instructions
How to make Turkish onions
- Rinse the sliced red onions under running water (optional).
- Drain onions and pat dry on paper towel.
- Add sliced onions to a bowl along with olive oil, sumac, salt and lemon juice.
- Stir to combine.
Top tips
- Rinsing the sliced onions under cold water takes away some of the "heat" or potency from the onions. This is optional, feel free to use the onions without rinsing if you like the taste of raw onion.
- You can also leave the onions to soak for up to half an hour in cold water - they will become milder the longer you soak them for. The cold water also makes them more crisp and crunchy.
Variations
- Add some red pepper flakes if you would like a little more spice.
- Pomegranate molasses is a nice addition.
- Add chopped fresh mint.
Serving suggestions
- Great in a salad.
- Making gyros or kebabs? Add these marinated onions!
- Sumac onions provide extra flavour and texture to a shawarma plate.
Rinse them in cold water initially, with the option to then leave them soak for up to 30 minutes. The longer they soak, the less potent they will be.
Other recipes you may like
Fatteh (Toasted Pita With Yogurt Sauce) - a crispy pile of golden brown, toasted pita bread with warm chickpeas then covered with garlicky yogurt and fried pine nuts sprinkled with fresh herbs.
Kumpir Potatoes - Turkish style baked potatoes stuffed with garlic butter and cheese and mixed until the middle is smooth and creamy, then packed with toppings!
Shawarma Sauce - shawarma sauce is a creamy, garlickly, greek yogurt-based sauce that is the perfect addition to make your next shawarma extra delicious!
📖 Recipe
Turkish Onions With Sumac
Ingredients
- 1-2 red onions thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon sumac
- 3 teaspoon finely chopped parsley
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
Instructions
- Rinse the sliced red onions under cool running water (optional).1-2 red onions
- Drain onions and pat dry on paper towel.
- Add sliced onions to a bowl along with sumac, chopped parsley, olive oil, lemon juice and salt.½ teaspoon sumac3 teaspoon finely chopped parsley2 teaspoon olive oil2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice½ teaspoon fine salt
- Stir to combine and serve.
Notes
- Rinsing the sliced onions under cold water takes away some of the "heat" or potency from the onions. This is optional, feel free to use the onions without rinsing if you like the taste of raw onion.
- You can also leave the onions to soak for up to half an hour in cold water - they will become milder the longer you soak them for. The cold water also makes them more crisp and crunchy.
These were great. Thanks.
You're welcome, Candy!