Onion marmalade is one of the toppings I think suits a burger best. Beyond the onion’s own flavor, I’ve seen again and again how the sugar and acidity you add as it cooks balance the richness of a burger, so I wanted to share this recipe with you.
The short answer
Red onions cooked in olive oil and butter with sugar, red wine vinegar, thin balsamic vinegar, pine cone syrup and pomegranate juice. Ten minutes of prep and 35 of cooking. Its sugar and acidity balance the richness of a burger.
Recipe
Onion Marmalade
- Prep10 min
- Cook35 min
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (50 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 purple onions, diced or sliced into half-moons
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp liquid balsamic vinegar (not the thick, syrupy kind)
- 3 tsp pine cone syrup
- ¼ cup (50 ml) pomegranate juice
Measurement converter →Tap an ingredient to tick it off.
Getting the ingredients right
- Use purple-red onions specifically.
- Use thin, liquid balsamic vinegar, not the thick, syrupy kind.
- Sugar and pine cone syrup bring the sweetness; red wine vinegar, balsamic and pomegranate juice bring the acidity.
Where to use it
Mostly on burgers: the moment you flip the patty, spoon some on top and melt the cheese over it. That’s how I used it in my bao burger.
Keep reading and listening
- Caramelized onions
- Quick pickled onions
- Steamed bao buns and bao burger
- The Burger Handbook
- Onions on our podcast YBYK (in Turkish): episode 13, King Onion and Queen Garlic
