Upgrade Your Grilled Kebabs With These Flavorful Onions

Whether you're partial to lamb or prefer shrimp on your sticks, onions are a vital part of any good kebab. They break up the protein and add a pungent bite in between the savoriness. While slices of red or white onions are commonly found on the skewers, pearl onions are the right choice for elevating your kebabs this grilling season because they offer the ideal bite (literally). Eating a kebab with unevenly shaped ingredients slightly takes the pleasure out of it, and baby onions are grown in a way that encourages their tiny, spherical stature. All you need to do is peel the alliums and pop them on a skewer.

As a younger version of a full size onion, pearl onions a great alternative for any picky eaters you're serving. Pearl onions have the classic sweetness of the standard vegetable, but only a little of the pungency; and, the veggies are even better when grilled. The heat caramelizes them, allowing the onion's buttery flavor to bloom. The best way to peel pearl onions is to boil them for a few minutes before plopping them in an ice bath. Once they've cooled down, the skins should slide right off. Simply add them to the skewers with the other ingredients and grill until the onions are tender and your meat has reached the right internal temperature.

Onions are an integral part of practically every savory dish, so there's hardly a kebab the ingredient doesn't belong on. Their mildness is one of the pearl onion's best attributes, so they complement recipes like garlic and honey-glazed salmon kebabs without diminishing the sweetness with a strong, earthy taste. If you want to make the pearl onions complement the other kebab ingredients even better, you can also marinate them before grilling. 

After the onions have been blanched and peeled, submerge them in the same marinade you used for your kebab meat for at least two hours before adding them to the skewers. Alternatively, you can opt for a seperate, but complimentary marinade. Soy sauce offers a nice balance to the garlic and honey-glazed salmon, while rice wine vinegar brings a delicious tang. For a little heat, add minced ginger and ground chilis.

For Michelle McGlinn's shish kabobs and haydari recipe, for example, an herb-filled marinade would fit best with the fresh, earthy flavors. Whisk quality extra virgin olive oil with red wine vinegar, oregano, lemon juice, thyme, and marjoram together and allow the pearl onions to soak in all the flavor. Assembled for extra juicy results, the pearl onions will only further elevate your kebabs.