Grilled Eggplant – The Almond Eater

22 de July de 2023

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That includes crispy charred edges and a comfortable and smoky center, Grilled Eggplant is a marvel throughout the summer season grilling season. The slices are served with a straightforward garlic aioli dipping sauce, providing you with a wholesome aspect dish or meatless primary course that’s loaded with irresistible flavors!

grilled eggplant rounds on a plate with garlic aioli on the side

Grilled greens ought to at all times be served on the summer season cookout as a result of they’re scrumptious and the right aspect dish for juicy hamburgers and pasta salad. The excessive warmth and smoke from the grill convey out the greens’ hidden flavors whereas tenderizing the center, providing you with flavorful veggies that at all times go away you wanting extra.

Grilled eggplant is certainly one of my favourite grilled greens. The grill enhances the eggplants’ earthy, barely candy style and delicate texture whereas creating a superbly caramelized exterior adorned with beautiful grill marks. It’s a implausible aspect dish or meatless primary that can delight your senses!

The one means this grilled eggplant recipe will get higher is when the slices are served with my 3-ingredient garlic aioli. It’s a virtually addictive dipping sauce that can have you ever craving grilled greens weekly!

Recipe options

Grilling is one of the best ways to rework eggplant, an underrated summer season veggie, right into a crave-worthy and hearty aspect dish or plant-based primary dish.
A lightweight seasoning of salt and pepper is all you’ll want to take the eggplant excessive. However there’s loads of room for extra taste, so play with the seasonings as a lot as you want!
Dipping the BBQ eggplant slices within the simple garlic aioli is one of the best ways to dig into this simple summer season aspect dish.

Components

Eggplant – If you’re buying, search for medium-sized eggplants that really feel heavy for his or her measurement. They need to even have clean and shiny pores and skin with virtually no blemishes.

Salt and pepper – That is all you’ll want to season the eggplant!

Garlic aioli – This deceptively easy dipping sauce, made with nothing greater than mayo, olive oil, and minced garlic, is technically elective however very a lot really helpful. The creamy, garlicky goodness matches the char-grilled, smoky flavors flawlessly.

Step-by-step directions

Step 1: Let the eggplant sweat. After washing and chopping the eggplant into thick slices, place them in a big strainer and sprinkle salt over high. Put aside whereas the surplus water drains. Afterward, wipe the water beads off of the eggplant slices and season them with salt and pepper.

2 images: the left image shows eggplant rounds salted and placed in a strainer and the right image shows an eggplant round being dabbed dry with a paper towel

Step 2: Grill the eggplant. Place the drained and seasoned eggplant slices straight on the preheated grill grates. Grill till either side are barely charred and crisp.

Step 3: Make the garlic aioli. In the meantime, pour the olive oil right into a small skillet and warmth it over medium warmth. As soon as scorching, add the garlic and sauté till aromatic. Switch the garlic-oil combination to a bowl with the mayo, and stir to mix.

Step 4: Serve. Serve the eggplant scorching off the grill with a aspect of garlic aioli dipping sauce, and luxuriate in!

Ideas and FAQs

Lower the eggplant into uniform ½-inch thick slices. The identical goes if you happen to slice the eggplant into strips or cubes. The extra evenly sized the eggplant items are, the extra evenly they’ll prepare dinner.
To create grill marks and forestall the eggplant from sticking to the grill, preheat the grill to medium warmth earlier than laying the eggplant on the grates.
Don’t flip the eggplant too quickly! As an alternative, let the slices prepare dinner undisturbed for a couple of minutes earlier than flipping. It will enable you obtain properly seared edges and tender, juicy flesh.

Tip

Don’t flip the eggplant too quickly! As an alternative, let the slices prepare dinner undisturbed for a couple of minutes earlier than flipping. It will enable you obtain properly seared edges and tender, juicy flesh.

Do you must peel eggplant earlier than grilling?

I choose to maintain the pores and skin on as a result of it helps the eggplant slices retain their form. Plus, the charred pores and skin could be very skinny, which implies it’s simple to eat and takes on a pleasant crispy texture.

Do you must salt the eggplant earlier than grilling?

Salting the eggplant and letting it “sweat” out the surplus water content material isn’t at all times a needed step however it will possibly assist stop the eggplant from changing into mushy as a substitute of fork-tender. The salt additionally attracts out any pure bitter flavors to supply an all-around better-tasting dish.

How else are you able to season grilled eggplant?

Salt and black pepper are all you’ll want to improve eggplant’s pure taste however you will get much more inventive with totally different seasonings, like garlic powder, cumin, paprika, lemon zest, and contemporary or dried herbs like basil, oregano, and parsley. In case you love warmth, add a pinch of crushed crimson pepper flakes, Aleppo chili flakes, or cayenne pepper.

Are you able to marinate eggplant earlier than grilling?

Sure! Marinating eggplant earlier than grilling is a good way so as to add depth to the dish. The balsamic French dressing dressing I used for this pear salad is a superb possibility. Or, as a substitute of marinating the eggplant, take into account brushing the slices with BBQ sauce or teriyaki sauce throughout grilling.

What goes nicely with grilled eggplant?

Step up your summer season barbecue sport and serve the grilled eggplant with grilled proteins, like rooster thighs, tempeh, and bison burgers. Or, as a substitute of serving it as a aspect dish, add the eggplant to pasta salad, grilled cheese, quinoa bowls, hummus bowls, or lamb bowls.

Storage

Fridge: Let the leftover cooked eggplant cool to room temperature, then place it in an hermetic container or resealable bag. Retailer it within the fridge for 3 to 4 days (it’s finest eaten inside 1 or 2 days).

Freezer: Whilst you can freeze leftover cooked eggplant, I don’t advocate it as a result of it might turn into mushy upon thawing.

grilled eggplant rounds on a plate with garlic aioli on the side of the plate

Extra summer season aspect dish recipes

In case you made this recipe, make sure to go away a remark and star score under. Thanks!