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yassa onions on a white plate

Sauce Yassa Recipe

Tangy, sweet, and spicy, sauce yassa onions are a Senegalese staple made with caramelized onions, mustard, vinegar, and citrus — perfect for elevating grilled meats and more.
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: African, Senegalese
Diet: Vegan
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 31kcal
Author: Marwin Brown

Ingredients

  • 3-4 medium Yellow Onions peeled
  • 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • 1 Scotch bonnet pepper finely chopped or left whole with hole punctured into the sides
  • ½ tablespoon adobo seasoning
  • 1 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1-2 Bay Leaves
  • 1 teaspoon sazon seasoning optional
  • ¼ cup Haitian Epis or Green Seasoning optional

Instructions

Step 1: Slice The Onions

  • Cut the edges off both ends. Cut each in half. Peel each half. Slice them thinly starting from the bottom and work your around the half moon to the other end.
  • Place the slice in a large bowl.

Step 2: Marinate The Onions

  • Add the mustard, garlic, scotch bonnet, lemon juice, adobo seasoning, salt, pepper, thyme, and sazon + epis seasoning if using.
  • Toss the sliced onions in this marinade and give them a real good mix. Let those onions sit and soak—minimum 1 hour, but overnight preferably.

Step 3: Saute The Onions

  • Heat a cast iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pan on medium low heat. Add olive oil or a neutral tasting oil. Saute the marinated onions with all the ingredients low and slowly stirring often. Cook for 45 minutes to an hour.
  • If it gets too dry, add a splash of water or broth to keep it silky.

Step 4: Serve

  • Spoon those onions over a bed of rice or your favorite protein like grilled chicken, steak, or lamb.

Notes

  • Slice those onions thinly
  • Seasoning is optional. Salt and Pepper is pretty normal, but I livened things up a bit with the sazon, adobo, and Epis.
  • Use this recipe in place of your favorite recipe for caramelizing onions.
  • Heat levels depend on how you treat the pepper. Dicing it will make these spicy, but including the pepper whole with punctured holes just means the fruity essence of the pepper would be utilized

Nutrition

Calories: 31kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Sodium: 533mg | Potassium: 111mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 41IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 0.4mg
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