Herby Fried Shallot and Bread Crumb Crunch Recipe (2024)

For the life of me I can't figure out why Step 3 (which has 24-28 minutes of down time) isn't the first step, with the food processing and draining prep done afterward. I might have to take the risk and find out

For those in a hurry, readymade fried shallots are available in plastic containers at Asian stores (they're a staple in Thai cooking). French's Fried Onions work equally well, and are possibly cheaper in bulk.

I understand the ease that purchasing already fried shallots would bring. However, you wouldn’t have the benefit of the shallot oil for the breadcrumbs and fried herbs. It looks worth the shallot step. Will gladly be employing this topping on my Butternut Squash Lasagna. I will bake the Lasagna and add the topping last since it’s already been fried and crunchy.

@Anu Sarkar: Seasoned breadcrumbs are pretty standard in French, Italian & New Orleans cuisine. I've made something similar - breadcrumbs, onions, spices/herbs - as a stuffing for fish/shellfish and ripe tomatoes. Based on what's in your pantry, substitutions work well: cilantro or mint for parsley, dried basil+ oregano for an Italian touch. I would definitely add minced garlic: other options are a little mild-to-medium-heat chili (flakes or powder) & lemon zest to approximate gremolata.

I made this recipe tonight for a mac/cheese casserole topping. I had trouble with it. My shallots didn't crisp up; I had to re-fry them at the end. I ended up using a much higher temperature than the recommended "low." And the breadcrumbs soaked up a lot of oil. It tasted fine, but given the leftover oil and the used pots, strainer and sheet pans, I won't make this again in the same way. Ultimately the shallots were delicious, but this was more work than I would want a breadcrumb topping to be.

Lynn and others who are asking why the steps aren’t in a different order - when the shallots are fried first they season the oil, along with the herbs. When the bread is fried last it absorbs those flavors.

You can do the shallots in the microwave in a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup in about 5-7 minutes. See the procedure in Serious Eats. Comes out exactly the same and you can proceed with the herbs and bread crumbs with the shallot oil in a pan.

Total fail for me. Followed instructions. Oil bubbled. Turned heat down, still allowed shallots to bubble. Cooked about 30 minutes and drained. Slightly golden. Got a big mushy clump. Tried to crisp in toaster oven. Almost worked. Laid on paper towel. Dog ate them.

@LaurenNJ: Breadcrumbs definitely need some fat/oil, but they can be toasted first (dry, or with some oil) and extra oil added later as needed. (EVOO works well: I mince about 4-6 garlic cloves, add a pinch or salt, cover with 1/4 cup EVOO in a microwave-safe glass cup, and nuke for 60s in the microwave. This mixture also works as a base for quick garlic bread that's flavorful but less artery-clogging than the store-bought stuff with layers of margarine.)

Y’all. I used panko because I could not get the bread crumbs the correct size and texture. I followed the recipe exactly other than that and can I just say WOW!! I think I lucked out. Shallots took 28 minutes. Absolutely delicious and can’t wait to try it on different foods at todays meal. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

It’s just a white bread that has more body than a sandwich bread — denser and crustier.

This probably took me 1.5 hrs start to finish. As others have noted, I could not get the shallots to brown at a “low” temp. I tried for 28 mins but ultimately I had to turn the temp back up to med-high for 11 mins to get them golden brown. Then when I laid them out on the paper towel they did crisp! Next time I would try cooking the bread crumbs in less of the herby oil and/or change out the paper towel and try to soak up more of the oil from the bread crumbs. But it still came out yummy!

Despite following the instructions carefully, everything was a soggy, oily mess. The onions never crisped. The fried sage and rosemary worked, but the bread also was in too much oil and didn’t crisp up. This was a waste of good ingredients and my time.

Agree with others. Followed the recipe exactly as written and watched the video, and the shallots did not come out well. Took forever, and at the end I do not have nice crispy shallots, rather clumps of slightly oil-logged, rubbery shallots. The breadcrumbs and sage came out well....but i think this is all going to end up in the garbage - not up to par for the Thanksgiving table. Bummer.

I did not start getting color on the shallots until I turned the heat up to medium. I would only turn the heat down to medium, not low if I were to cook it again. I would have appreciated more description of what should happened during the slow fry so I could better adjust my flame.

My white whale. The first year I made them, the frying technique went perfectly. The last two years, I ended up with a soggy mess after following the recipe and video to the letter. This year, ended up salvaging it (kind of) by putting the shallots in the oven for a bit. It definitely helped but I still feel so demoralized and mystified! I've sworn I won't do this to myself again next Thanksgiving but we'll see...

Fabulous recipe. 1) I don't know if it's my stove or what, but I found Samin's method for frying shallots difficult, but Kenji's has worked really well for me and works interchangeably. 2) I have made it three years in a row--this past year I tried omitting the breadcrumbs and found it more flavorful and crunchier.

I followed the directions for the shallots, including “consistent bubbling” for 30 min. Listen to the others: pale golden is not going to crisp up to dark golden brown out of the pan. I had to dump my drained shallots back in the oil after it became clear they would remain limp. I added them back in the oil and fried to the desired color, strained them out, and they stayed that color. This is not usable with limp, sad shallots: fry to desired color.

I have tried to do my own breadcrumbs and fail every time. Used panko and that worked amazingly well.

To those who complain of soft, mushy shallots -- you just didn't cook them long enough. Eventually, the water will cook out and they'll turn a nice golden brown. Maybe Samin's burner is more powerful than average -- I found that keeping the heat just shy of medium was perfect on my stove to maintain that constant bubbling. Go by visual cues and wait patiently for a golden brown color. Spread them out quickly on paper towels after draining and they really will crisp up nicely.

To avoid the sloppy mess of shallots, slice them as thin as possible (use a mandoline if you have it) and the oil needs to be at medium/high not medium/low for them to brown and crisp up. If you do end up with the soggy shallot mush, spread them thinly out on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.These were such a hit last year at Thanksgiving they were requested back again. A lot of work, but I think worth it.

Samin talked about this recipe in an episode of her Home Cooking podcast and suggested using panko. I came here to find the recipe and was really surprised to see the homemade breadcrumbs instead. Doesn’t seem worth the hassle of busting out the food processor, especially based on reviews.

This recipe is so worth it and can be done in way less steps and with less tools. I put about a cup of olive oil in 12 inch skillet. Fried the shallots on medium until they were pale golden as directed. Then fried the sage, removed it, then spooned out most of the oil leaving about 1/4-1/3 cup in the skillet. Added the bread crumbs and chopped rosemary and seasoned with salt and pep and stirred until deep golden, about 20 mins or so. Then combine all ingredients. Way easier and delish!

A couple of comments about the directions: Commercial stoves are much more powerful than domestic ones, so 'medium-low' doesn't mean the same thing. I was more successful setting mine on medium. Also, the directions say that the oil should be at 360 degrees for frying the herbs, but I never got above 250, so that must be a typo. I took my shallots out of the oil when I thought they were 'pale golden brown' and they were a soggy mess, so I put them back in the hot oil to finish them.

two modifications I made today that were gamechangers: 1) fry the shallots at a higher temp, there should be somewhat vigorous bubbles. it's just never crisped up for me (I've made this recipe three or four times) otherwise. 2) the bread needs to be fried for way longer! keep frying until it's crisp! continuously toss in a folding motion with a big metal spoon to encourage even browning.

There is a fun video of Samin making this recipe on the NYTimes Cooking YouTube channel. "How Samin Nosrat Makes Thanksgiving Less Boring."

Has anyone found a way to store it longer, maybe then recrisp? Maybe freeze everything but the breadcrumbs, at last minutes crisp bread crumbs and the rest? Ideas?

Made this for Christmas dinner tomorrow. Followed the instructions exactly (except for using panko instead of homemade bread crumbs) and it turned out perfectly! Now I just have to stop myself from snacking on it till tomorrow…

This Topping Should Always Be In The Pantry... Yum

Loved this! I did wind up having to fry the shallots twice to get them to crisp up (let them go for nearly 40 minutes the first time around, drained them, and then at the very end of the recipe, dropped them back into the hot oil and they crisped up immediately). We kept the leftovers in a sealed jar on the counter for nearly two weeks and sprinkled it on everything. I especially loved it as a kind of crouton on green leafy salads.