Eggplant on the Grill
Vegetables get exponentially more delcious when cooked on the grill, and eggplant is not an exception! When eggplant is sliced and grilled it takes on a terrific texture and a fantastic smoky flavor.
Salting Eggplant Before Grilling
The key to non-bitter eggplant, no matter how you are cooking it, is to salt it first. This isn’t necessary for very small or young eggplant without many seeds, like Japanese eggplant, but for larger eggplant it makes a big different. It’s easy to do, it just takes a few extra minutes.
Simply slice the eggplant about ½ inch thick and place a few slices in a colander. Don’t slice the eggplant too thin for grilling – the middle may start to burn before the outer edges become until tender.
Give the first layer of eggplant a sprinkle of kosher salt (this part is important; you need a coarser salt, like kosher or flaky sea salt, so that the salt pulls the moisture from the eggplant, but doesn’t make it too salty or allow it to become mushy). Continue to add layers of eggplant alternating with generous sprinkles of kosher salt until all of the eggplant is salted. Let sit in a sink or over a plate for 30 minutes; you will start to see moisture beading up on the eggplant, and some liquid may collect under the colander.
Pat the eggplant dry with paper towels or a clean dishtowel. You’re now ready to brush the slices with olive oil and start grilling.
Grilled Eggplant: When eggplant is sliced and grilled it takes on a terrific texture and a fantastic smoky flavor.
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How to Grill Eggplant:
Brush the eggplant on both sides with olive oil.
Place the eggplant slices on the grill. Grill the eggplant, covered, for about 5 minutes until they get nice marks on the bottom and begin to soften, then flip them and grill for another 3 minutes or so.
You should feel free to move them about the grill to cooler spots if they look like they are browning too quickly, before they become tender. You can grill them for longer, if you want softer eggplant, just make sure to flip them as needed and not let the slices start to get too brown in any spots.
Remove from the grill and serve warm or at room temperature.
How to Serve Grilled Eggplant:
You can serve it plain and simple or with a dipping sauce, like Sriracha Sauce, Creamy Mustard Oregano Sauce, Simple Herb Dipping Sauce, Roasted Tomato and Garlic Sauce, Red Pepper Sauce, Chermoula, or Harissa Dipping Sauce. Also think about combining grilled eggplant with other simply grilled vegetables (see below). Perhaps add it to an antipasti platter.
You can also give it a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, and another little drizzle of olive oil. Some fresh herbs torn and strewn over the top would be lovely: try basil, marjoram or mint.
Grilled eggplant can be diced and added to all kinds of pasta and grain salads. Or use it to make Caponata! You can also use it as the base of babaganoush or another dip or spread.
What to Serve with Grilled Eggplant:
- Grilled Split Turkey Breast
- Orange, Chili and Thyme Grilled Chicken
- Grilled Scallops
- New York Strip Steak with Jalapeno Butter
Other Grilled Vegetables:
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Grilled Eggplant
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 Japanese eggplants or 1 large “regular” eggplant
- Kosher salt to taste
- ¼ cup olive oil , approximately for brushing,
Directions
- Heat the grill to medium high.
- Slice the eggplant into ½-inch slices.
- If you are using a larger eggplant, place a few slices of eggplant in a colander (you can skip this step for Japanese eggplant). Add a sprinkle of kosher salt. Continue to add layers of eggplant alternating with generous sprinkles of kosher salt until all of the eggplant is salted. Let sit in a sink or over a plate for 30 minutes; you will start to see moisture beading up on the eggplant, and some liquid may collect under the colander.
- Pat the eggplant dry with paper towels or a clean dishtowel. Brush the eggplant on both sides with olive oil.
- Place the eggplant slices on the grill. Grill the eggplant, covered, for about 5 minutes until they get nice grill marks on the bottom and begin to soften, then flip them and grill for another 3 minutes or so. You should feel free to move them about the grill to cooler spots if they look like they are browning too quickly, before they become tender. You can grill them for longer, if you want softer eggplant, just make sure to flip them as needed and not let the slices start to get too brown in any spots.
- Remove from the grill and serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition values are provided as an estimate. It is not intended as a substitute for the advice of a qualified healthcare professional.
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