How to Chop Shallots

Video Transcript

"Another delicious bulb are shallots. They're in the onion family and they're in the garlic family. They're very similar to garlic in that they are wrapped in the same kind of a fashion. I break them open. I use a nice sharp knife and I get rid of the bottoms. And I peel them with a paring knife. There are so many layers to shallots, that if you take off a little extra with your knife , it's really not going to be the end of the world. Because sometimes the skin right underneath the husk is a little bit bruised. This one however, is in immaculate and beautiful shape. So I'm going to show you a quick tip, very similar to cutting garlic. The flavor is a cross between an onion and garlic. It's very delicate. I really love using them for sauces and salad dressings and when I make say my red wine reduction sauces, they're fantastic. So similarly, you're going to cut your shallot in half and I like to give it a couple of more little more consistent power cuts. And move them over on their side and use my sharp chef's knife and give them what they call a mince. I also like to bring out my other favorite knife, the mezzaluna and just make them a little more finer. Because like garlic, you don't want a great big bite in your mouth. You want to just have the flavor of it. It's wonderful to saute these down, too. Because it really brings out the delicate flavor of the scallion, excuse me, of the shallot without the big bite in your mouth. There you go. Delicate, fragrant shallots."