Give Any Deli Salad A Bolder Bite With This Finely Chopped Addition

Deli salads are a great choice for piling atop crusty sandwich bread, serving over a delicate leaf of lettuce, or scooping straight from a bowl for a quick nosh. Whether it's tuna salad, egg salad, or a combination of the two, the options are nearly endless to find your favorite. When preparing your favorite homemade deli salad recipe, the usual proteins and mayonnaise or yogurt are, of course, a must. To punch up your next batch of chicken salad, potato salad, and more, a hearty helping of chopped red onion is the absolute best ingredient.

One of the most popular types of onions, red onions are characterized by an intense flavor that can sometimes err on the spicier side. This pungency will perfectly complement the mild flavors of your favorite deli salad, particularly when fresh and finely chopped. Much like its fellow allium, garlic, the flavor of onions gets stronger the more they are chopped.

If you want to add some zing to your potato salad, pasta salad, or other deli salad offering, simply chop up a red onion to mix into your next meal. You won't need more than about a quarter of an onion to make a significant impact on your salad without overpowering the taste. The added crispness of the fresh onion will also vary the texture of your salad with a little extra crunch.

One of the best things about preparing a deli salad is the ease of preparation. Typically, the process involves gently combining the ingredients and dressing in one large bowl. Adding a small amount of chopped red onion is particularly easy, as you can go slowly with your addition, mixing the salad and adding more onion to taste as you go. Whether you chop fresh or buy it pre-chopped, go easy with your red onion addition to ensure it acts as a complement to the flavors of the salad rather than a hindrance.

Consider what kind of deli salad into which you want to include red onions, and make sure you have extra ingredients on hand to keep the general flavor profile balanced. For example, with a classic potato salad, adding extra relish or mustard will help cut some of the strength of the onion with a hint of sweetness or tanginess. Likewise, with a seafood or macaroni salad, keeping some extra pasta or mayonnaise on hand can also help.

Additionally, get creative by adding a portion of red onion to such classic deli salad offerings as egg salad or tuna salad. If you're working with a plant-based recipe like chickpea salad or cucumber, red onion is an excellent way to liven up these veggie favorites into new classics. However you choose to use red onion, make sure to go light and easy.