Great Onion Rings, Poppers and Panfish

I love onion rings.  They're just one of those guilty pleasures that a person has to partake of once in a while.  But I had never really found a great recipe for them up until recently.   Oh, I've found some 'good' ones, but no GREAT ones.   Then another blogger that I follow ( Homesick Texan ) posted the recipe which I will share with you.  And with a few modifications, you can make jalapeno poppers or bluegill (and other small panfish) filets.  Plus, it's a crispy breading that does not soak up much oil at all...not greasy or heavy.

A couple things...you can use any onions, but a sweet onion like a Vidalia or a Texas 1015 will work and taste best.  They usually sell those singly in the supermarket, not in a bag, and they're about the size of a softball.  They'll usually be marked as a sweet onion, often having a sticker on each onion.

For Onion Rings:
2 medium sweet onions, cut into 1/4-inch thick rings (Vidalia, Texas 1015, etc)
1 quart buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Oil for deep frying

Place the onion slices in a large bowl and add enough buttermilk to completely cover. Allow to soak for at least an hour.  I like to soak them all day.  Mix together the flour, salt, black pepper, chili powder and cumin. Taste and adjust seasonings. Divide the flour mixture, placing half in a large food-safe plastic bag and the other half on a plate. Heat up oil in a medium pot with high sides to 350 degrees.  The more oil you use, the more stable your heat will remain...a good tip is to do this outside, on a gas grill's side burner or on a camp stove, that way you don't stink up the house.  Line a large baking sheet with paper towels. To batter the onions, remove them from the buttermilk, reserving the buttermilk in the bowl, and place them in the plastic-bag with the flour. Shake until coated. Working one-at-a time or in small batches, take the floured onions and dip back into the buttermilk and then dredge in the flour on a plate. Fry in the hot oil until light brown, for about 2 minutes, turning once. Drain on paper towels.  You'll have a hard time making a batch to go along with your dinner, as these will be eaten as fast as you can make them!

For Jalapeno Poppers:

Same recipe as above, but slice the tops off the peppers, scoop out seeds and innards with melonballer (a thing with two small spoons on each end and a handle in the middle) or a very small spoon of some sort.  Soak in buttermilk as with the rings.  When ready to fry, mix some  shredded sharp cheddar with a block of cream cheese.  Poke holes in bottom of the peppers with a fork and stuff the peppers with the mixture.  Proceed as with the onion rings.

For Small, Thin Fish Filets (Bluegill, perch, etc.)

Substitute Lemon Pepper for Chili Powder and leave out the cumin.   Only soak the filets for an hour or two in buttermilk.  Same deal otherwise.

It's a great breading for deep frying that I'm sure you can use for a zillion other things....experiment...have fun!