Wake up, wake up, wake up! This is your guy Marwin on the flavor frequency, bringin' the heat with Senegalese vibes from my lab to your stovetop. Today’s track - A slow jam of caramelized onions, mustard, lemon, and a whole lotta love — we talkin’ about Sauce Yassa, baby!
You want to add a bold, bright, and savory complexity to almost any main dish protein. These slow-cooked onions, marinated with mustard, lemon juice, garlic, and spices, are great as the base for grilled or braised chicken (especially), fish, lamb, or steak.
These onions don’t just sing, they groove, layering sweet, sour, and spicy in a flavor harmony that’ll make your taste buds dance like it’s a block party in Dakar.
Beats and Eats (music to pair with Yassa Onions)
This dish brings da flavor and the funk so it only makes sense to pair these onions with that smooth groove from the Doobie Brothers, “Minute by Minute.” It ain’t just food and music—it’s a vibe.
See, Yassa onions, they don’t rush—they simmer, slow and low, gettin’ tender, tangy, and downright soulful. Lemon juice, mustard, garlic—oh yeah, that flavor builds minute by minute just like that sweet track so you can enjoy bite by bite.
The Doobies bring it in mellow, laid-back, but with every bar, that song grows deeper, smoother, and more layered. Sound familiar? That’s dat Yassa journey, yessir babeeeeee!
Key Flavor Notes
Awww yeah! Yassa ain't your basic run of the mill sauteed onions. They are leveled way up and complex despite using only a few ingredients. Let me break down the lineup so you can see how each of these flavor bombs brings the heat, the funk, and the soul:
Dijon Mustard – This here’s the smooth talker in the mix. Sharp, tangy, and creamy all at once. It slides into your sauce like a bassline—cutting the richness, addin’ a little snarl, and holdin’ everything together with flavor finesse.
Lemon Juice – Like a lead singer belting out brightness and clarity. Tart, snappy, and fresh, lemon juice lifts the whole dish like a high note in a ballad. It’s the wake-up call for all those deep, savory notes. You got acid? You got balance.
Scotch Bonnet – Ooooh chile! That’s the fire on the mic. The whole pepper bringing fruity mild heat. It’s passion in pepper form—bold, beautiful, unforgettable.
Adobo Seasoning – This one’s your rhythm section—garlic, salt, herbs, a little smoky swagger. Adobo lays down that savory beat that ties the room together. It don’t scream for attention, but trust, you’d miss it if it wasn’t there.
How To Make Yassa Onions
First thang’s first—grab you a few nice size sweet yellow onions (we talkin’ 3-4 or more depending on how you feel). Peel ‘em and slice ‘em thin. We ain’t cryin’, baby—we flavor building. This ain’t no background note, this is your headliner
Mince those garlic cloves. The finer the better!
Add them to the onions in a large non-reactive bowl.
Add in the spices, mustard, lemon juice, fresh thyme, and bay leaf.
Though it's not a traditional ingredient for Yassa, i add Haitian epis seasoning for some additional flavor, color, and aroma. This is optional, but I highly recommend the add. Plus everyone should get familiar and keep epis on hand. I added about a ¼ of this epis seasoning mix to the onions and mixed everything together well.
Marinate the onions overnight.
Save the rest refrigerated in an airtight container.
Grab a cast iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pan—we goin’ deep, deeper than Atlantis with da flavor. Heat up a splash of neutral oil over medium heat. Now toss those marinated onions in and let ‘em sizzle.
Turn that heat down to low, and stir often. You want ‘em to caramelize real slow, baby—soft, jammy, golden. This ain’t no rush job. Give it 45 minutes to an hour. If it gets too dry, add a splash of water or broth to keep it silky smooth.
These onions are usually made to make chicken yassa. I typically make a batch to smother my protein of choice which is usually grilled chicken thighs or I just might spoon these bad boys over a bed of white or delicious red rice and grilled steak like a juicy tasty grilled porterhouse steak or reverse seared Ribeye. Top with fresh herbs or another squeeze of lemon if you like it extra lively.
If you make this wonderful sauce yassa recipe please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. Definitely take a photo of the dish and be sure to tag #foodfidelity so that I can see them.
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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