Q. Kevod Harav Shlit”a,

The halacha seems to point out that if one eats raw or even cooked Garlic or Onions, the bracha receited is “Shehakol”, as it is not the usual way for most people to eat raw garlic and onions.

I have noticed that during Kiddush in shul, when schmaltz herring is served, some make a bracha of shehakol on the fish, and a separate bracha on the onions.

If one desires to eat the onion by itself, does he make a haadoma or is it shehakol?

A. Indeed, Mishna Berura (25, 5) rules that since raw onions are normally eaten only when mixed with salads or other dishes and rarely by themselves their brocho is shehakol. If the were fried and thus became better, their brocho changes to hoadomo.(ibid 7)

Horav Shlomo Miller’s opinion is that onions salted and placed in oil or marinated in vinegar are kovush (pickled) and halachakly considered cooked. Since they have improved, if then eaten by themselves and not as an integral part of the herring (tofel), the brocho recited over them is hoadomo.

Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Shlomo Miller Shlit”a