The things I love about this Fennel Infused Onions dish:
It’s so easy to make and the cleanup is even easier.
It goes with just about anything – meats and vegetables.
It uses some of those fennel fronds leftover once the fennel bulb is gone.
Its versatility allows you to adjust the flavors by replacing the fronds with different herbs.
It can be cooked on the grill or stovetop.
It’s healthy and oh so good.
Even if you don’t like fennel, you’ll love these fennel infused onions and if you really, really don’t like fennel or want to change the flavor profile to better complement the rest of the meal, see Kitchen Notes for alternatives.
When you buy a fennel bulb always try to buy it with good looking stalks and fronds intact. Use the bulb for another dish such as my Suppertime Pileup or Roasted Fennel Salad. Use the fronds for a variety of dishes during the week. There are so many things that you can do with them – add them to soups, use them like you would rosemary to fill the cavity of whole fish or chicken, or use them in the above recipe – Fennel Infused Onion (of course). Use can also dry them, something I do a lot. The dried version doesn’t have a lot of fennel flavor, but enough to add flavor to a variety of egg dishes, salads, or vegetables.
For more ideas on how to use fennel fronds, check out a great discussion on ChowHound – “What to do with fennel fronds?” Lots of wonderful ideas. If you have some ideas of your own, please let us know in a comment.
*See Kitchen Notes
- ½ large onion*, sliced
- Several fennel fronds
- Sea salt
- Olive oil
In the center of a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment make 3 layers of onions by starting with a few pieces of fennel fronds. Top with a layer of onion, then a few fronds and a dusting of sea salt, another layer of onion, fronds, and a little more sea salt. One more layer of onion topped with more fronds and a touch more salt. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Place another sheet of aluminum foil over the onion stack and fold all of the edges to create a sealed aluminum envelope.
Place on a hot grill, hot griddle, or hot skillet*. Cook for 5 minutes, turn and cook another 5 minutes.
- When you serve, discard the fronds.
Onions – The type of onion can change the flavor so experiment. We like sweet onions and red onions, but any type of onion works.
To double or even quadruple this recipe is easy. Just make a wider stack but keep the number of onion layers limited to 3 so all of the onions cook evenly.
Herbs – that can be used in place of fennel fronds.
- Fresh dill weed
- Sweet basil or Thai basil
- Rosemary
- Thyme or lemon thyme (Good with grilled lamb chops)
- Your own personal favorite herb or herb combination
Cooking on the grill – We usually make these onions when we grill ribeye or T-bone steaks. We place the onion package on the grill next to the steaks using the same cook time as the steaks. When we turn the steaks, we turn the onions. There is some flexibility in cook time so regardless of whether you’re going for medium rare or medium, just cook the onions the same as the steaks. If you’re going for well-done on your steaks, then the onions will be well-done as well, so you might take them off the grill a couple minutes earlier.
Cooking on the stovetop – Prepare as instructed and place on a hot, heavy griddle or skillet over medium heat. Top with a domed lid to concentrate the heat around the “onion package”. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook 5 minutes per side.
More onion and fennel recipes for your choosing:
We love fennel and roasting it with onions is just sublime. Love you extra helpful hints too. Those are always appreciated.
Perfect to have in the fridge for grilling ! Must try, must do !
I love fennel and onions, so this is a no brainer for me! I also love having condiments such as this in the fridge for times when you need to spruce up a dish! Perfect MJ!
Thanks Abbe. I’m a condiment fanatic as well. My husband says I should have a separate fridge just for my condiments. 🙂
Wow! This is so easy, MJ! Such a great way of cooking onions!
Thanks Kelly.
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Looks delicious! Thanks for linking up to Frugal Food Thursday, and come on by and check out my cheap recipes!
Fabulous idea!! I love fennel, and always end up throwing away so much of the fronds. This is a wonderful use for them. I think I’ll make them this weekend. Thanks so much for posting this!!
Mmm what a unique ingredient recipe, MJ. With nice, delicate onions and some pungent fennel this must be a scrumptiously balanced side dish. Looking forward to photos of your new kitchen!
Ooohh, I think I like the one cooking it on the grill next to that thick, juicy, and tender rib eye steaks. Kitchen redo is really a big task. Last two kitchen redo that I did, we ended up selling the house the year after. I told my wife, this third hopefully was the last one and I’m holding on to the house, hehe. Have a good weekend, MJ! 🙂
Thanks Ray! I like it most next to that juicy steak as well! 🙂 This is only our second redo. The first was after living in the house for 16 years, then getting to live with the new kitchen for only 5 years. One would have driven me nuts! We’ hoping this is our last redo and that we get to enjoy it for years and years to come. 🙂
I’ve never thought of onion as a side dish like this!
I wish I was had a kitchen redo as an excuse not to cook. This is a great idea, MJ. We always have onions with barbies but have never added anything to it. Love dill and that’s the first I’m gonna try. Will send you a fork via post (sorry, cake’s finished).
Thanks Adora! Darn — I was afraid that cake was going to go fast!
Oooh! Can’t wait to see your new kitchen!
What a mighty interesting concept—I can’t wait to give this a try, I bet it’s so refreshing and just wakes up your taste buds!
A few months ago was the first time I cooked with fennel. I actually love the flavor of it. I like the way you have used the fronds.
Am really looking forward to trying out this recipe!
i love onions… that is something interesting. i must try it asap
I love fennel and I’m always looking for ways to use the fronds (because mostly I use the bulb). I also enjoy roasted onion, so while this more of a steamed onion, I’m sure I’d still enjoy with the infusion of fennel… Thanks so much for sharing, MJ!
I love fennel salads and this looks simple but delicious. What lovely clean flavours. Fennel is plentiful at the moment and very cheap so I must make this while the timing’s good. I do hope your new kitchen is finished soon xx
Sorry to hear your kitchen isn’t quite done. Things always take longer than estimated, don’t they? But soon you’ll be enjoying it – and we’ll be enjoying the pictures! In the meantime, this is a wonderful recipe. I don’t use fennel enough in my cooking, and this is a simple but flavorful looking way of preparing it. Really nice – thanks.
Thanks John! Yes, it always takes longer! At least I’m seeing an end to all now. 🙂
I just love Fennel and this is such an easy recipe and would go well with anything!!
Cannot wait to see your finished kitchen MJ !!!You must so excited 🙂
Simple and delicious! Perfect as a side dish!
Aah..bang on recipe…easy, quick and looks so yum! Don’t get fennel bulbs here..but would hunt for it in specialty stores. Waiting to see the pictures of your kitchen, MJ
I can’t wait to see your new digs. And, I can’t wait to try this recipe on the grill.
Hi MJ,
I can’t wait to see your finished kitchen. As I’m sure you’re anxious to get back to cooking in it:)
Fennel is a recent discovery for me and I just love the taste. This is a really great recipe! Thanks for sharing.
I’m so excited to see your kitchen when it’s done. I don’t know what I would do if my kitchen was “under construction”…. I practically live in it these days. 🙂 This looks like such a nice light and healthy dish. I love onions… YUM! 🙂
Can’t wait to see your new kitchen MJ! That must be so exciting for you. My husband was suggesting to take down that wall which is making my “kitchen” a 3 m² hell, but honestly I am fed up and tired of works and mess in my house. ifrst we had to renew the whole roof because it was leaking in, then the veranda was renewed then a huge cupboard was build in the house and every single time this workers would destroy something or make a whole.
I haven’t had fennel in ages! My husband isn’t much into that herb, so most probably I would try it with sweet basil, rosemary or thyme. But I can imagine that itwould go well in a salad as well or as you mentioned with meat and potato dishes. Somehow I never know otherwise what to do with fennel but now I have this superb idea of yours. thanks for sharing!
Thanks Helene! I know what you mean about being tired about the mess! This is the second house that my husband and I have totally renovated so I feel like “mess” is just a way of life. 🙂 We’ve decided that this it is. We’re finishing up ALL of the remodel on this house within the next year and we’re done. We’re going to sit back and enjoy it rather than looking forward at our next project. 🙂
I like all the elements in this recipe and I can well imagine how aromatic it must be. I love when a recipe delivers gorgeous flavour without all the fuss… perfect! It sounds like you are in the final steps of the renovation MJ – how exciting! – hang in there; I have no doubt that the result will have been well worth the temporary disruption.
You got me there, I refreshed my page a couple of times because I kept seeing May 2011! I love onions with so many things, I must try this. Really great that you’ve got alternative herbs as I don’t cook with fennel that often. It’s salmon and mash for dinner tonight and as we’ve got rosemary in the garden, I think I’ll make these onions to go with the fish!
That’s funny. Sorry about the confusion with the date. 🙂 I hope you got to try the onions. Let me know how they turn out and thanks!
I love onion but never tried with fennel. It looks easy and flavorful!
2 fabulous flavors! Congrats on your kitchen almost being done! I bet you can’t wait.
My family has always used fennel fronds when they prepare porchetta. They never cooked the fennel, though. That was served raw, sort of like crudités. I’ve cooked it, surprising some of the Old Timers of the family. 🙂
I bet the combo of onion and fennel would taste very good together. And I’ve got some fennel fronds. I see this dish in my immediate future. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks John! Now I need to go look up porchetta! Love learning about a new dish! I, too eat the bulb raw, sliced very thin. It’s great with apples. I love cooking it too. Glad you were able to surprise the old Timers. 🙂
I love the flavourings in this my friend it looks stunning 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
P.S. Come check out my international giveaway for my Blogiversary 🙂
What a wonderful combination of flavors! I love that it is easy too!
We love onions! This is quick and delicious.
I love onions, and this sounds so good with the fennel! Good luck finishing your kitchen – I can’t wait to see the pictures! I’m sure it will be fabulous and worth the wait!
Wow MJ, do you know how excited I was to see this recipe? I am a huge fennel bulb fan and often use it for soups and stews. However, I didn’t know what to do with the top part (which I didn’t know the name until I see your post – fronds) so I threw away! This recipe is wonderful! I get to use most of fronds with this recipe. 🙂
Thanks Nami! BTW – Sometimes I just throw the stalks and fronds into the soup while it’s cooking, then remove them at the end. It works great! Hope you get to try this!
Mmmmm….I love onions and these sound incredible!
MJ … These look fabulous 🙂
It sounds simple, good and so original! Before I read it was a grilled dish it reminded me of the Japanese onion salad I make quite often. I think we underestimate onion treating it only as a taste enhancer. I love the fact that you use fennel here. I am ashamed to admit that fennel is one of these vegetables I buy from time to time and always end up throwing away because it rots before I find a cooking idea…
Thanks for the inspiration and thank you for reposting it. I also repost from time to time (am actually planning it now!). Some recipes are too good to be mentioned only once.
Thanks Sissi! Another great use for the fennel bulb is to caramelize it with onions. I do that quite a bit and then serve the dish with sausage. So Yummy! Have a great week!
Oh Mj, I am saving this recipe it sounds like my kind of side, and I cna do on the stove top too. I may switch it up with the dill or thyme unless I can find some fennel. Can’t wait to see your new kitchen I bet you are so excited and happy that it is nearly done. Have a great week my friend.
Thanks Suzi! Dill works great with this – I’ve tried it because I don’t always have fennel fronds. Lemon thyme is also one of my favorites! Enjoy!
What a delicious combination! I would never have thought to combine fennel and onions. Thanks for sharing your recipes with the Hearth and Soul Hop. I always enjoy them!
Thanks Alea! You get some great recipes in your blog hop!
Delicious onions, love this fennel infusions. Thanks for sharing with Hearth and Soul blog hop, really good highlighting it .
This sounds great! I bet I could use it on top of grilled tofu! YUM! Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays recipe party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂 We are building a great set of gluten free recipes so far! Its making my meal planning easy 🙂 How about yours? See you next Friday! Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
I absolutely love fennel fronds. What a fun little side dish when barbequing. We will definitely make this the next time we strike up the barby! Thanks for sharing it with us at Whole Food Wednesdays MJ. http://www.beyondthepeel.net/2012/06/mostimportanttoremember.html
What a wonderful side dish and a great way to use all the parts of fennel. We are still relatively new to the uses of fennel, but they seem to be many. I would like to invite you to share your recipe in our recipe hop that will be open until midnight Wed. It is a weekly event that begins each Sunday at 7pm. Hope to see you there!
This looks delicious! I Would love to have you link up to my 2 carnivals today….http://www.aroundmyfamilytable.com/2012/04/feed-your-soul-5/ (anything food related) and http://everydaymomcakes.com/sugar-me-up-5/ (deserts only). Hope to see you around!
Hi MJ,
I have fresh Fennel in the garden right now and I can’t wait to try this. Hope you are having a wonderful Spring day. Thank you so much for sharing your great recipe with Full Plate Thursday and come back soon!
Miz Helen
I’m a huge fennel fan, so it’s great seeing another use for the greenery. I usually finely chop the tender parts to add them to cabbage salads, but this is a nice alternate.
Looks great! I just signed up to follow my email!
Shay
I love the look and feel of this site! The pictures are beautiful! I am going to try the onions today. Ed’s sister in law, Marguerite
Thanks Marguerite! I hope you enjoy the onions.
This sounds really good. We love grilled onions with steak. How would this work with slices of potatoes? Have you tried it?
No I haven’t tried it, but I think it would work great with thin slices of potatoes! You would have to precook the potatoes to make sure they cook. We’ve served these as toppings for grilled steak, lamb chops and hamburgers. I’ve also doubled the recipe and added the leftovers to green beans and asparagus.