Shallot vs spring onion, are they the same thing?
Shallots vs spring onions, what is the difference?Shallot bulbs are similar to garlic.Spring onions are immature onions with a small white bulb and a long, leafy green stem.Spring onions have a sharper, more pungent flavour, while shallots are milder and sweeter in taste.
Shallot is an onion relative that has a more mellow onion flavour.They grow in clusters like garlic bulbs.
The golden-brown variety and the deeper-red variety are common in Australian supermarkets.Both are slightly sweeter and less potent than onions.They are prized for their ability to add a touch of sweet to a dish.
The spring onion has a small white bulb and long green leaves.A form of immature onion is this crisp plant.They are a more mature version of the vegetable known as scallions or green onion, which has a green stem but no bulb.
If you look at the life cycle of an onion, you can see the difference between the plants.Here is a quick look at it.
scallions are the least mature form of the three.These long-stemmed, leafy plants are best chopped up and eaten raw as a topping over stir-fries, sauces, and salads.They are best served fresh since they are mild in flavour.Even as they grow, scallions look like fresh chives and are often used in recipes.If you don't have any, they have similar flavours that can be swapped out with the other.
Green onions and green shallots have the same stem and leaves.They have a small white bulb that defines one green onion bunch from a bunch of scallions.While they are often called spring onions here in Australia, they have a much less defined bulb than the real onions.
Spring onions are between a mature onion and a green onion in taste and maturity.They have more defined, rounded bulbs and the most potent taste of the onion stages prior to full maturity.They can be eaten raw or cooked.
These names are used interchangeably in Australia because they are very similar to green onions.The trick?The more prominent the bulb is, the more likely it is to be a spring.
A different flavour to a dish can be achieved by cooking with either of these varieties.The general rule is that you shouldn't replace spring onions with shallots.
Spring onions can be used to add a bit of crunch and sharpness to a dish.Shallots are softer and sweeter, and are usually added as a cooked ingredient.It is not a good idea to substitute one with the other, as onions gain pungency over the stages of maturity and that may be a crucial element of a dish.