Marinated Sumac Onions Recipe (2024)

Published: May 5, 2020 Updated: Jan 2, 2024 by Hilda Sterner | This post may contain affiliate links 14 Comments

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Have you ever tried Sumac Onions? This "Red Onion Salad" features thinly sliced red onions, chopped Italian parsley, and a zesty sumac-based marinade that will delight onion-lovers everywhere! Serve Sumac Onions with Kebabs, Falafel, or mix into salads.

Why This Recipe Works

Sometimes referred to as Sumac Onion Salad or Turkish onion Salad this recipe allows you to quick pickle raw onions and to use them inShawarmawraps,Adobada Tacos, in salads, and as a side dish to other Mediterranean recipes.

The best part is that you probably have all the ingredients on hand, maybe with the exception ofsumac powder. Sumac has a tart, lemony flavour and also releases a beautiful red tint when added to a dressing or other liquids.

Sumac powderis a regular in many of my recipes. If you follow my blog, you might as well get some, you'll be needing it often!

What Goes Into This Recipe

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Sumac — The ingredient that makes this recipe shine is the tart Sumac Powder. Sumac gives the onions their amazing flavor.
Onion — There are recipes out there that call for white or yellow onion, but I recommend using red onion because of its natural sweetness. It just begs to be pickled!

How to Make Sumac Onions

STEP 1: Peel and slice the red onion into thin slices. Add onion slices to a bowl, along with the chopped parsley.

STEP 2: Whisk lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, sumac, salt, and sugar in a small bowl.

STEP 3: Pour the sumac dressing over the onions and parsley, then whisk thoroughly to blend the ingredients.

STEP 4: Allow the flavors to come together for an hour or so before using it as a condiment with kofta kabob, chicken, in sandwiches, or mixed in salads!

Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips

What does sumac taste like?

Sumac imparts a tart, lemony flavor that's sometimes compared to lemon or lime zest. Sumac powder is very popular in the Middle East and is used in all kinds of dishes.

However, this delicious spice is perhaps best known for accompanying grilled kabobs. It is also mixed into salad dressings, for example, Fattoush salad.

Some creative people even use it in desserts like this Blueberry Sumac Sherbert.

What can I use instead of sumac?

I understand that not everyone's spice drawer contains sumac, but I'd like to change that, one kitchen at a time! Although in some recipes, it can be substituted with another tart ingredient like lemon zest, or a pinch of citric acid, I don't recommend it in this recipe.

I mean, c'mon, Sumac is a part of the recipe's name, it wouldn't make sense to substitute another ingredient, would it?

Although I usually offer all sorts of alternatives to ingredients, I'm drawing a line in the sand this time. Get yourself some sumac!

Do you have to use red onions to make sumac onions?

Unlike my stance on the sumac powder, I'm more flexible when it comes to replacing the red onions with white onions. However, I wouldn't recommend using yellow onions, which tend to have a very strong, almost harsh taste.

Some Sumac Onions recipes call for soaking the sliced onion in hot water for 5-10 minutes before proceeding with the recipe. This is to mellow out the onion flavor. This might not be a bad idea if using yellow onions since they taste stronger than red onions.

After soaking the sliced onion in hot water, lightly squeeze, to release some of their juices before proceeding with the recipe.

However, if you use red onions, you can skip soaking them first. Besides, I think the marinade does a nice job of bringing out the sweetness of the onions.

Sumac loses its flavor if it's stored for any length of time. It's a good idea to keep sumac frozen until needed to retain its freshness. Especially if you don't use it too often.
If you want to spice things up a bit, you can add some chili flakes in with the marinated onions.
Sumac onions are good for up to a week or longer.
Use leftover Sumac Onions in salads, mix into rice, stirfry, and more!

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The Best Sumac Substitute Option

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