Spring Recipes From UK Shallots

These tasty recipes from UK Shallots are perfect for the warmer months, check out this range of delicious dishes to tempt family and friends this spring!

Beef and Shallot Empanadas 

The filling of these empanadas is a classic combination of Spanish flavours – beef, shallot, sultanas and olives. Deep fried until crispy, then finished with a salsa verde inspired shallot green sauce.  

Serves: 6-8 

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Preparation Time: 25 minutes (plus resting time) 

Cooking Time: 30 minutes 

For the dough 

• 450g plain flour  
• 1 tbsp salt  
• 60g unsalted butter  
• 1 egg  
• 6 tbsp water 
• 1 tbsp vinegar 

For the filling 

• 2 eggs, hard-boiled 
• 1 tbsp of olive oil  
• 4 echalion shallots, peeled and chopped 
• 1 garlic clove 
• 1 tbsp dried oregano 
• 500g beef mince 
• 1 tbsp raisin  
• 1 tbsp pitted green olives, roughly chopped 
• ½ a 400ml tin of chopped tomatoes 
• Vegetable oil for frying 

For the green sauce 

• 1 small bunch of tarragon 
• 2 large bunches of flat-leaf parsley 
• 2 round shallots, peeled 
• 3 tsp Dijon mustard 
• 40g small capers, drained, rinsed and roughly chopped 
• 200ml extra virgin olive oil 
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar 

What to do: 

Start with the dough – mix the flour, salt, and butter in a bowl by hand until it comes together as a homogeneous dough. 

In a separate large bowl, beat the egg, water, and vinegar, and add the mix to the flour dough. 

By hand, knead the mixture on a clean surface covered with a little bit of flour until it comes together as a rustic dough, and set aside, covered, in the fridge for one hour.  

To make the filling – peel and cut the hard-boiled eggs into thin slices. Heat the oil in a large pan on a medium heat – cook the echalion shallots until golden brown, then add the garlic and oregano, and stir for two minutes. Add the beef mince and cook for 10 minutes until browned. Add the raisins, olives, hard-boiled eggs, and chopped tomatoes. 

Meanwhile, make the green sauce by blitzing all the ingredients to a chunky texture in a blender. 

Heat 6cm vegetable oil in a large, deep-frying pan on a medium heat.  

Take the dough and roll out with a rolling pin to form a rectangular sheet around 2cm in thickness. Then, using a small bowl or cup, cut out circles around 12cm in diameter. 

Take a circle of dough and fill it with 2 tablespoons of the beef filling. Then, fold the dough over and mark the edges with a fork to close the empanadas. 

Add a few empanadas to the oil at a time – cooking for 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Serve on a large platter or board with the green sauce on the side. 

Chaat Masala Potatoes and Shallots 

Sweet and crunchy, raw echalions shallots marry perfectly with crispy new potatoes, cold yoghurt and a zingy dressing in this fresh Indian-inspired salad. 

Serves: 4 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes 

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Cooking Time: 35 minutes 

For the potatoes: 

• 750g baby new potatoes, cut lengthways into 1cm thick slices 
• 2 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 tsp chaat masala 
• ½ tsp ground turmeric 
• Salt and pepper, to taste 
• 250g thick Greek yoghurt 
• 1 echalion, thinly sliced on a mandolin or by hand 
• 1 green chilli, thinly sliced 
• 1½ tsp coriander seeds, toasted 
• 1½ tsp nigella seeds, toasted 

For the coriander chutney: 

• 30g fresh coriander, reserving a few for garnish 
• 1 green chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped 
• 1 tbsp lime juice 
• 4 tbsp olive oil 
• Salt 

To serve: 

• 1½ tbsp shop-bought tamarind paste 
• 1½ tsp caster sugar 
• ¼ tsp chaat masala 

What to do: 

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan. Put a large pan of salted water on to boil. Once boiling add the potatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes until cooked through. Drain the potatoes. 

Add the potatoes to a large baking tray – drizzle with the 2 tbsp oil, and top with the chaat masala, turmeric and seasoning. Toss to mix thoroughly. Roast in the oven, stirring once or twice, for 35 minutes, or until deeply golden. 

Meanwhile, make the coriander chutney. Put all the ingredients into a food processor or blender and blitz until smooth. Set aside. 

To make the tamarind dressing, whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl with 1½ teaspoons of water until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside. 

Spread the yoghurt on a large serving platter. Top with half the coriander chutney, swirling it through without completely incorporating. Drizzle with half of the tamarind dressing, and top with the potatoes, shallot and chilli. Drizzle over the remaining coriander chutney and tamarind dressing, then sprinkle over the toasted seeds and reserved coriander leaves and serve. 

Grilled Shallots and Spring Onions with Romesco 

A take on the classic Spanish dish of calcots and romesco, we’ve added even more alliums in the form of sweet, charred echalion shallots. Any leftover romesco is delicious on toast, stirred through beans or even as a dip. 

Serves: 4, as a side 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes 

Cooking Time: 15 minutes 

For the alliums: 

• 5 echalion shallots, peeled and halved 
• 1 bunch of spring onions 
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• Handful of parsley, finely chopped 
• Handful of tarragon, finely chopped 
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon 
• Flaky sea salt and black pepper, to taste 

For the romesco: 

• 1 tbsp olive oil 
• 1 slice stale white bread, torn roughly into 2cm chunks 
• 50g almonds 
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced 
• 100g roasted red peppers, from a jar, drained 
• ½ tbsp smoked paprika 
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar 
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil 
• Salt and pepper, to taste 

What to do: 

Toss the echalion shallots and spring onions in a large bowl with the 2 tbsp olive oil, herbs (reserving a few leaves for garnish), lemon zest and juice, and seasoning. Put to one side to marinate. 

Meanwhile make the romesco sauce – heat the 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and fry the bread chunks, almonds, and garlic until golden. 

Add the bread mix to a blender with the roasted red peppers, smoked paprika, sherry vinegar, 100ml olive oil and salt, and blend into a lightly textured sauce. 

Put a griddle pan or BBQ on a high heat, and once smoking hot, add the marinated shallots. Cook for a few minutes on each side until charred and soft. Remove to a plate. Add the spring onions – these will only take up to 1 minute per side to get charred and soft. 

Serve the alliums on a platter topped with the remaining herbs and a little more of the flaky sea salt, with the romesco sauce alongside. 

Salmon and Shallot Tandoori Skewers 

These tandoori salmon skewers are the perfect BBQ recipe for summer, or they can also be grilled indoors on a griddle pan if it’s a classic British summer of rain! 

Serves: 4 

Preparation Time: 15 minutes (plus up to 60 minutes marinating time) 

Cooking Time: 10 minutes 

For the quick pickled shallots 

• 4 round shallots, peeled and finely sliced 
• 125ml water 
• 125ml white wine vinegar 
• 1⁄2 tsp fennel seeds 
• 1⁄2 tsp cumin seeds 
• 1 tbsp table salt 
• 2 tbsp golden caster sugar 

For the skewers 

• 4 skinless salmon fillets (about 125g each) 
• 2 round shallots, finely chopped 
• 1 large garlic clove, grated 
• 2.5cm piece of fresh ginger, grated 
• Juice of 1 lime 
• 100g Greek yoghurt 
• 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder 
• 1 tsp ground turmeric 
• 1 tsp ground cumin 
• 2 tsp ground coriander 
• 2 tsp smoked paprika 
• Salt and pepper, to taste 
• Vegetable oil 

To serve 

• 4 naan breads 
• 4 tbsp raita 
• A handful of coriander leaves 
• 1 long green chilli, finely sliced 
• Lime halves 

What to do: 

Prepare the quick pickled shallots. Place the sliced shallots in a clean bowl. Put the water, wine vinegar, fennel and cumin seeds, salt and sugar into a small pan over a medium heat and stir until the sugar and salt are fully dissolved. Pour the hot pickling liquor over the shallots and leave to cool slightly. Cover the bowl and place in the fridge to pickle. 

To prepare the salmon, cut each fillet into 4 equal-sized chunks. Place the chunks in a bowl with the chopped shallots, garlic, ginger and lime juice and mix well. 

In another bowl, mix the yoghurt with the spices and some salt and pepper. Add this spiced yoghurt to the salmon and mix well again. Leave to marinate in a cool place for at least 20 minutes, or up to an hour.  

Once marinated, thread the salmon onto your skewers. Brush the hot barbecue or griddle pan lightly with a little vegetable oil then lay the skewers on it. Cook for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden brown and lightly charred. Meanwhile, warm the naan on a low heat in the oven. Once cooked, transfer the skewers to a warm plate. 

Spread the naans with a tablespoon each of raita. Top with a salmon skewer. Scatter over the pickled shallots, some coriander and sliced green chilli. Serve with lime halves for squeezing over.