Why I Cook with Shallots

Shallots are valued for their mild flavor, which has been called a perfect union of onion and garlic. Although they have many similarities to onions and garlic, their flavor is more sweet, mild and delicate. Shallots add flavor to a wide variety of recipes from soups and sauces to dressings and stuffings.


Green Beans with Shallots and Almonds
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In the early 1960s, Julia Child introduced Americans to shallots, small oval-shaped bulbs with papery skin that look like miniature onions. They’re an essential ingredient in fine French cooking that was virtually unavailable some 50-odd years ago. There simply were no growers in the US! Thank goodness shallots are easy to come by these days. Shallots are valued for their mild flavor, which has been called a perfect union of onion and garlic. Although they have many similarities to onions and garlic, their flavor is more sweet, mild and delicate.

Shallots add flavor to a wide variety of recipes. Try them scrambled with eggs for breakfast, diced into soup for lunch and added to a flavorful sauce for fish or meat at dinner. They can be used in place of onions in many recipes, and depending on the dish, you may want to swap them in if a sweeter, more subtle end result is desired. Here are some delicious ideas:

Be sure to look for shallots with firm, dry bulbs that are free of sprouts. If purchased fresh, they’ll keep for about 3 to 4 weeks in a cool, dry place.
Are you familiar with shallots? Got a favorite idea or recipe? Let me know.

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