green onion
See also: onion
Also known as: chopped green onion, green onions, spring onions
A young onion harvested before the bulb fully forms, with a mild, fresh, slightly sharp flavor -- much gentler than a mature onion. Both the white base and the green tops are used, most often raw as a garnish or folded in at the end of cooking, since heat mutes their brightness quickly.
Buying guidance
Choose bunches with crisp, bright green tops and firm white bases with no slime or yellowing; wilted tops are the first sign of age even if the white base still looks fine. The white and pale-green parts are sharper and better suited to light cooking, while the darker green tops are mildest and best used raw as a garnish -- treat the two parts differently rather than chopping the whole bunch the same way.
Substitutions
- Chives -- milder and good raw, but lack the crisp bite of the white base.
- Shallot, minced, in about half the amount -- stronger and more concentrated; best cooked rather than raw.
- Leek, white and light green part only -- milder and needs cooking; not a raw-garnish substitute.
Tips & common mistakes
The root end, if left with about an inch of white attached, can be stood in a shallow glass of water on a windowsill and will regrow new green tops for another harvest or two -- no need to compost every root end.
Storage
Stand the whole bunch upright in a jar with an inch of water in the fridge, loosely covered with a bag, and change the water every few days -- it stays crisp noticeably longer than a bunch just wrapped in the crisper drawer.