Griddled Eggplant Salad

So simple, yet so delicious, this griddled eggplant salad is flavorful, garlicky and very much more than the sum of its few parts.

If you’ve been reading this space for a while, you’ve probably heard me talk about how much I hated eggplant as a child. The texture, the flavor (or lack thereof), the ugly inside color. None of it appealed. 

Until one summer when I was introduced to homemade eggplant parmigiana, my gateway dish to loving eggplant. Now I like it all the ways! I first saved this recipe back in 2004, scribbled in a notebook while watching Nigella Lawson make it on her show Nigella Bites. Later I transferred those notes to a Word doc but I never got around to making it. 

Yep, saved for 20 years, it resurfaced recently when I search my own computer for eggplant ahead of this Sunday FunDay event. I thought I might have a recipe already made that I could use but when this popped up, I figured it was a sign that I should finally make it. Why did I wait so long! It’s lovely. And so easy! 

Griddled Eggplant Salad

This recipe is adapted from one in Nigella Bites: From Family Meals to Elegant Dinners - Easy, Delectable Recipes for Any Occasion. Extra garlic oil should be stored in a clean jar in the refrigerator. It is excellent in salad dressings or homemade mayonnaise.

Ingredients

For the garlic oil:

1/2 cup or 120ml olive oil

3 cloves garlic, finely sliced

For the salad:

1 medium eggplant

2 tablespoons garlic infused olive oil, plus more to serve

2 green onions

Flakey sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 lemon

Method

Slice the eggplant into circles and put them in a colander. Sprinkle the slices with salt and leave to sweat and drain for about 15-20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, finely slice the garlic and put it with the olive oil into a small pot. 

Gently heat the oil till it is warm then leave it to simmer gently for about five minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Strain out the garlic and put the oil in a clean jar to store. (I saved the garlic and added it to another dish and so should you.)

Lay the eggplant slices on paper towels and use more to dry with them. 

Place the garlic oil in a small bowl and brush it on the eggplant slices. Turn them over and brush the other side. 

Preheat the griddle or stove top grill pan and then place each eggplant slice onto the grill and press down gently. Do not crowd the pan. 

Cook about 3-4 minutes per side. 

I like to turn them so that I make hashed griddle marks. Remove the grilled eggplant slices to a platter and repeat until they are all cooked. 

Drizzle with more garlic oil. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Sprinkle on the snipped green onions.

 

Enjoy! 

As I mentioned above, it’s another Sunday FunDay! We are sharing recipes with eggplant, prolific in everyone’s garden this time of year. Many thanks to our host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. Check out the links below.

• Air Fryer Eggplant Pizza (Aubergine or Brinjal Pizza) from Cook with Renu
• Brinjal and Tomato Chutney from Sneha's Recipe
• Dahi Baingan from Mayuri's Jikoni
• Eggplant Gratin from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Griddled Eggplant Salad from Food Lust People Love
• Grilled Eggplant, Tomatoes, and Burrata Platter from Culinary Cam
• Melitzanosalata (Greek Eggplant Dip) from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Szechuan Eggplant from Palatable Pastime

 

>We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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