Fried Squash and Onions 101

One of my favorite summertime side dishes is pan fried yellow squash and onions; the delicate flavor of the squash paired with sweet, caramelized onions. I know it seems like a pretty straight-forward recipe, but there are minutia that should be followed in order to achieve just the right results.

I found these small yellow squash at the store recently. I like to buy the smallest ones I can find, so when they're sliced, there's not a large amount of pulpy seeds to deal with. I also look for a nice, pale yellow flesh with the least amount of bruises or brown spots.

After peeling one small onion, I sliced it into thick slices. The thinner you slice the onion, the quicker it will brown. Be careful not to slice it too thin, else the onion will begin to burn before the squash is browned.

When slicing the squash, I like to slice mine on the diagonal. Slicing it on the diagonal not only looks nice, but it also increases the surface area of the squash that will brown.

Once the onion and squash are sliced, I melt two tablespoons of salted butter in a stainless pan. I like using a stainless pan for this dish, because I think it produces a nicer caramelization than a teflon-coated pan would. While the butter is melting, I also add about a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. This way, you have the high cooking temperature of the oil, along with the wonderful flavor of the butter.

When the butter is completely melted, the squash and onions are added to the pan over a medium heat. A medium heat ensures that the vegetables won't begin burning before they're fully cooked on the inside. I stir them briefly right as they enter the pan to evenly coat all the vegetables with the butter and oil. Once they're coated, I leave the pan alone for the first four to five minutes, and only stir twice, maybe three times, while cooking. Leaving the pan alone is key to getting nice caramelization. Too frequent stirring doesn't allow for the vegetables to rest on the bottom of the pan long enough to begin to brown.

About half way through, you can see that the vegetables have begun to sweat and soften, and the onions begin to turn translucent. This is the time to add salt and pepper. Remember not to stir too often.

The best results are achieved after about 15 minutes. The vegetables have begun to caramelize, there are nice brown bits in the bottom of the pan and the texture of the vegetables is soft and tender. You could certainly cook them longer to brown them further, but the squash would begin to fall apart and become mushy.

Be sure to serve this dish immediately. If left in the pan too long, the vegetables will begin to get soggy and wilt. Yellow squash isn't the only vegetable that could be used; zucchini, eggplant or pattypan squash would also be delicious!