Sweet Vidalia Onion Slaw

Sweet Vidalia Onion Slaw is an utterly simple, utterly brilliant side for your next picnic, barbecue, or potluck  — the famously mellow onions are sliced paper thin and tossed with a cool buttermilk dressing — it’s a little bit of heaven on a paper plate!

*This post is in association with O Olive Oil. I’m a huge believer in this company, their oils and vinegars are stars in my kitchen — thank you for supporting them, and my other brand partners, they help keep TVFGI up and cooking!

Vidalias are super mild, sweet onions that were only discovered by accident in Vidalia Georgia in the 1930s — something about the soil in that particular area resulted in their unusual mellow quality, and  they’re so darned sweet and delicious that they eventually became trademarked. The only onions that can call themselves Vidalias are from those certain counties in Georgia. Vidalias are mild enough to eat right out of hand, like an apple, but I think this slaw is an even better idea. Serve it as a side, or on hot dogs, brats, burgers, sandwiches, etc. It goes with anything and everything and couldn’t be simper…

I made an appropriately Southern style slaw dressing to complement these Georgian gems. It’s a blend of buttermilk, mayo, and a lovely crisp O Citrus Champagne Vinegar.  With a recipe this simple it makes sense to go with good quality, and O’s vinegars are light and refreshing enough to drink on their own, or in a cocktail. A bit of salt, pepper, and a good dash of celery seeds completes this dressing. The buttermilk and the champagne vinegar work together to elevate even a homey slaw into something special.

If you’re like me and generally avoid eating too many raw onions, I think you’ll be amazed at how you can tolerate these without any problems at all. The flavor is sweet and mellow, and there’s none of the harsh sharpness we associate with regular onions. Unlike regular onions, sweet onions can be stored in the refrigerator.

Onions are so tightly packed that when you slice one of them paper thin and separate all the strands it’ll fill a pretty good sized bowl. I love this recipe because with just one onion you can have this sweet Vidalia onion slaw on the table in no time. Most people don’t know it but onions are really healthy — they can help prevent everything from heart attacks and strokes, to ulcers and cancer. This delicious slaw might just put cabbage out of business!

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4.08 from 14 votes

Sweet Vidalia Onion Slaw

Sweet Vidalia Onion Slaw is an utterly simple, utterly brilliant side for your next picnic, barbecue, or potluck  --- the famously mellow onions are sliced paper thin and tossed with a cool buttermilk dressing --- it's a little bit of heaven on a paper plate!

Course Salad

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes

Yield 8 servings

Author Sue Moran

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 2 Vidalia onions or other sweet variety

buttermilk dressing

• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp O Citrus Champagne Vinegar
• 2 tsp celery seeds
• 1/2 tsp salt
• lots of fresh cracked black pepper

garnish

• dill parsley, thyme, or chive

Instructions

• Peel and slice the onions into 1/8 inch slices. This is best done on a mandolin slicer. Cut the slices in half or thirds.
• Put the onions into a bowl, carefully separating the strands as you add them.
• Whisk together the dressing and be sure to taste to adjust any of the ingredients.
• Pour enough dressing over the onions to saturate them, but don't drown them. Toss well and refrigerate for several hours before serving.
• Garnish with just a bit of green before serving, it could be dill, thyme, parsley, or chive.

The nutritional information for recipes on this site is provided as a courtesy and although theviewfromgreatisland.com tries to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

make it your own ~

• make it creamy ~ this dressing is on the thin side…if you’d like it thicker and creamier, use half the amount of buttermilk.
• make it with a kick ~ I almost added a bit of horseradish, I think that would be nice. Or a bit of grainy Dijon mustard…depends on your mood.
• make it light ~ to lighten the dressing try using Greek yogurt in place of the mayo. Don’t worry about the buttermilk, despite its name, it’s super low in fat. If you don’t have buttermilk you can use regular milk, but the flavor won’t be as good.

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