Grilled Eggplant

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Eggplant is a wonderful when grilled. With its meaty texture, it can be served as a main dish or in this case a great side. Since eggplant will absorb oil like a sponge, grilling is a great cooking method that requires little oil. The grill will impart a delicate smoky flavor and a slightly crisp surface.

I wanted a new recipe and found this in one of the Fine Cooking issues and got three recipes for one!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium eggplant about ¾ pound, trimmed and cut into ½ inch thick rounds
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more as needed
  • Kosher salt, go light on salt if toppings are little more salty

    Instructions:

    Prepare a medium high grill. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with olive oil and season with salt.

    Grill about 3-4 minutes and turn and grill until tender and well marked on both sides.

    Serve with toppings:
    Olive, Orange, and Anchovy vinaigrette
    Roasted Red Pepper Relish with Pine Nuts
    Garlic Cumin Vinaigrette with Feta and Herbs

    Cooking Wiser Tips:

    Purchase tender, in season eggplant for best flavor. If you end up with an eggplant that tastes bitter, lightly salt to remove the bitter juices; but carefully selected it will have a delightful flavor. The earliest crops have fewer seeds and consequently better flavor and texture.

    Eggplant contains a lot of water that will release when cooked. Slice 1/2 inch thick for grilling