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Old Bay Onion Rings and Lemon Dipping Sauce

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Beer Battered Old Bay Onion Rings with Creamy Lemon Dipping Sauce - An appetizer or side dish that's boardwalk ready, no matter where you are! * GoodieGodmother.com #onionrings #friedfood #foodideas #oldbay #sidedish #appetizer #dippingsauce

Beer Battered Old Bay Onion Rings with Creamy Lemon Dipping Sauce – An appetizer or side dish that’s boardwalk ready, no matter where you are!

Beer Battered Old Bay Onion Rings with Creamy Lemon Dipping Sauce - An appetizer or side dish that's boardwalk ready, no matter where you are!

Never have I known a place to have such a love of a seasoning as the mid-Atlantic does for Old Bay. Moving here, we knew it was popular, especially since the company is based out of Baltimore. The following for this seasoning is impressive though. It’s like the Pabst Blue Ribbon of the spice cabinet, only mainstream and regionally hipster at the same time. For example, grocery rotisserie chickens have Old Bay seasoning. This isn’t just for crab legs anymore.

Somehow, one a recent road trip, the Godfather and I got to talking about regional food obsessions. Naturally, the love affair between Old Bay seasoning and the mid-Atlantic came up. We started talking about all the non-steamed crab or shrimp dishes we had tried with Old Bay, and then suddenly, I stopped. And I looked at the Godfather and whispered, “… onion rings. We haven’t had Old Bay onion rings. I must create them, and put it on the internet!”

old bay onion rings

He gave me a bit of side eye (he was driving). I continued… (still whispering)… “and it must contain a local beer. (end whispering) Beer battered Old Bay onion rings will be BRILLIANT!!!” He intensified the side-eye, because who gets that excited about onion rings??? (Hint: Me.) But he was pleased at the prospect of heading to a local brewery to research for the recipe.

A few weekends later, we were out running errands and planned it all to end in said research trip. We stopped by local Ashburn, VA brewery, Old Ox Brewery, and shared a tasting flight, hoping to find the perfect beer for cooking and pairing. The staff was great, the beers were good. Some were not really my cup of tea, others were quite good, the French Saison D’Ox Farmhouse Style Ale was golden perfection in a glass.

One sip and I knew it was the perfect local beer pairing for this recipe! If you don’t live close enough to Ashburn, Virginia to visit Old Ox and get your own cute little growler, find a Farmhouse-style Ale. It should be golden in color, some light citrus notes, but a touch of hoppiness to balance. Bonus points if you find a local-to-you small brewery to support.

recipes that use old bay seasoning

These onion rings are mid-Atlantic flavor wonderfulness. The batter is light but gives that perfectly satisfying crispy crunch onion rings need, and the hint of Old Bay seasoning just adds something special that makes it feel like a seaside meal, even if you happen to be hours away from the closest beach. The piece de resistance though, is the creamy lemon dipping sauce.

onion ring dipping sauce

Old Bay seasoning, for me, is synonymous with seafood, and seafood is synonymous with lemons. These flavors just have to be together! I wanted a bright accompaniment sauce to pair with the fried onion rings to keep the dish from getting heavy. This sauce was just the thing!

The recipe makes about 3/4 cup, which is more than what we needed for the onion rings. We ended up using the extra with chicken, in sandwiches, and I think over a rice bowl. The sauce has that balance of tangy, creamy, citrus, savory, sweet that just compliments the onion rings perfectly! The Godfather is not usually a mayo-based/creamy sauce fan, and he was all about this lemon dipping sauce.

how to make beer battered onion rings

I fried these in a pan, and could only do about 3-4 at a time. I held the rest on a paper towel lined baking sheet in an oven that had been warmed to 170 F and then shut off. If you have a deep fryer, I would imagine it would go a little faster. But if you don’t, plan about 25 minutes to fry if you have one pan going. Definitely keep the onion rings warm using the “prewarmed then shut off” oven trick so they don’t get soggy and they all taste fresh when served.

I recommend making the dipping sauce at least an hour in advance of serving. You may also make it up to a day or two early and just store in the refrigerator.

crispy onion rings recipe

I hope you enjoy this recipe for crispy beer battered Old Bay onion rings! Enjoy before summer is out, or whenever you need a little something that tastes like a seaside vacation.

Beer Battered Old Bay Onion Rings with Creamy Lemon Dipping Sauce - An appetizer or side dish that's boardwalk ready, no matter where you are!

Old Bay Onion Rings and Lemon Dipping Sauce

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Beer Battered Old Bay Onion Rings with Creamy Lemon Dipping Sauce - An appetizer or side dish that's boardwalk ready, no matter where you are!

Ingredients

Rings:

  • 2 large Vidalia (sweet) onions
  • 1 cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning + a little more for sprinkling
  • 1 1/3 c farmhouse style ale (see notes)
  • 3-4 cups vegetable oil for frying

Creamy Lemon Dipping Sauce:

  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • zest from 1 lemon
  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp yellow mustard
  • 1 tsp honey or sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Make the sauce by mixing together all ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste, then cover and refrigerate until serving.
  2. Pour the vegetable oil into your frying pan and place over medium heat.
  3. Slice the onions into 3/4" rounds and soak in a large mixing bowl of ice water while you prepare the batter.
  4. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and Old Bay seasoning. Pour in the light beer and stir until smooth.
  5. Remove the onions from the ice water and place on a clean dishtowel to dry well.
  6. Pour out the ice water, add more ice to the bowl, and rest the onion ring batter bowl over the ice. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
  7. Dip an onion ring into the batter, shake off the excess gently, and place into your frying pan. Dip as many more onion rings as will fit. I could make them 3-4 at a time in my pan.
  8. Cook about 2 minutes per side until the batter turns a light golden brown and is crispy. Remove from the oil and place on the baking sheet to drain. Keep the baking sheet in a warm location so the onion rings stay warm while you cook. Repeat until you've made all the rings.
  9. Serve immediately with the creamy lemon dipping sauce.

Notes

- For the beer, I used the Saison D'Ox from Old Ox Brewery in Ashburn, VA. If you are not local to Northern Virginia, find a farmhouse style ale that has light citrus notes and a clean finish.
- I used the reduced sodium Old Bay seasoning, and found that I did need to add a pinch of salt to the recipe. Since I am listing "regular" Old Bay seasoning in the ingredients, I did not add the salt, but I thought it was important to note in case you also purchase the reduced sodium version.

Did this recipe inspire you?

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Beer Battered Old Bay Onion Rings with Creamy Lemon Dipping Sauce - An appetizer or side dish that's boardwalk ready, no matter where you are! * GoodieGodmother.com #onionrings #friedfood #foodideas #oldbay #sidedish #appetizer #dippingsauce

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Hillary Reeves

Sunday 8th of May 2016

be still my heart! i looove old bay and i love how this recipe came to you in a vision like that haha! hope the godfather enjoyed. xx

Mary (The Goodie Godmother)

Monday 16th of May 2016

He loved them! Definitely a recipe we plan to use over and over.

Paige @ Where Latin Meets Lagniappe

Saturday 7th of May 2016

Sooooo yummy Mary. I love onion rings and I LOVE Old Bay! What a brilliant combination!

Brian Jones

Thursday 5th of May 2016

Now don't they look all special, i love using cornstarch in batter mixes it makes for the most wonderful crunch... Loving the lemon mayo dip, I did something similar earlier in the week for some crispy drummers, no honey though that sounds like a great addition.

Mary (The Goodie Godmother)

Friday 6th of May 2016

Is this where I make a comment along the lines of "great minds..." and all that? haha

Byron Thomas

Thursday 5th of May 2016

Mary, these look terrific - that bay seasoning is one of my favourite flavours, but I think your lemon dipping sauce steals the spotlight. LOL

Mary (The Goodie Godmother)

Friday 6th of May 2016

Haha, I think so too. We used the extra in sandwiches and it was delicious!

Whitney

Tuesday 3rd of May 2016

Thanks for the inspiration!! These were my fav onion rings I've ever made! The Old Bay + beer batter combo was PERFECT.

Mary (The Goodie Godmother)

Friday 6th of May 2016

Hooray!

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