How to Peel a Shallot: A One Minute Cooking Class

Shallots are an under used cousin of the onion; and I love them.  First, they are smaller than onions, and so there tends to be less waste if your cooking for one or two people.  They also have a flavor that is bit more mild and sweet than the average onion…with just a hint of garlic.  They are especially great with sauces.  But very much like the onion, they can be a bit of a pain to peel.  Here’s a couple tips to help you out.

How to Peel a Shallot

• First step is to slice off the top and bottom (stem)
• If you need to keep the shallot whole, use a sharp knife and cut one layer (about 1/8 of an inch) deep lengthwise along the shallot
• Then starting at that cut, peel the outside layer off
• A much easier way, is to cut the shallot in half with that outer layer on
• Now you have two half, and should be able to easily pull the layers off each half
• Once off, you’re good to slice or dice that shallot