SPICY GRILLED EGGPLANT RECIPE

SPICY GRILLED EGGPLANT RECIPE

prep time 1 HOUR
cook time 10 MINUTES
total time 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES

This Spicy Grilled Eggplant Recipe is a perfect when you have eggplant in the garden, but this is so delicious it’s worth buying eggplant to make it. And you can adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to make it less spicy if you prefer!

INGREDIENTS

INGREDIENTS

  •  1 large globe eggplant (see notes)
  •  2 tsp. salt, to remove water from eggplant
  •  2 T olive oil, to brush eggplant for grilling
  •  2 T chopped parsley (see notes)
  •  2 T chopped fresh mint (see notes)

SPICY SAUCE INGREDIENTS

  •  2 T olive oil
  •  2 tsp. red wine vinegar
  •  2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
  •  1 tsp. garlic puree (from a jar) or finely minced fresh garlic
  •  1 tsp. Aleppo Pepper (or less, to taste; see notes)
  •  1 tsp. Spike Seasoning (optional, but highly recommended)

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Remove stem end and wash eggplant, but do not peel.
  2. Cut eggplant into slices about 3/4 inch (2 cm) thick, being careful to make all slices the same thickness.
  3. Arrange eggplant in single layer on double-thick paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
  4. Let liquid ooze out for 20 minutes, then turn over and sprinkle other side with salt and let drain 20 minutes more.
  5. While eggplant drains, whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic puree, Aleppo Pepper (affiliate link), and Spike Seasoning (affiliate link). Chop mint and parsley.
  6. Preheat gas or charcoal barbecue grill to medium high. (You can only hold your hand there for 3-4 seconds at that heat.)
  7. After the second 20 minutes has finished, cover the eggplant pieces with another layer of paper towels and press down with your hands to squeeze out water.
  8. Wipe eggplant dry. Lay them out on a baking sheet (or paper towels) and brush both sides with olive oil.
  9. Place eggplant on grill and cook 4-5 minutes per side, rotating after a few minutes on each side if you want to get nice grill marks. Watch them carefully because they go from nicely browned to overly dark quite quickly.
  10. When eggplant is done, remove from grill and place in a single layer in a baking dish (or use the same baking sheet you used to oil them.)
  11. Spoon some of the spicy sauce over each piece of eggplant, and let sit 10-15 minutes so eggplant can absorb sauce flavors.
  12. To serve, assemble eggplant on serving plate and sprinkle with mint and parsley.
  13. Serve warm or at room temperature.

NOTES

 

You can also use or 2 small eggplants or 2-3 long Asian eggplants. Cut Asian eggplant on the diagonal to get bigger slices. Asian eggplants don’t need to be salted.

You can use all mint or parsley if you don’t have both, and you can use more herbs if you prefer.

Use whatever kind of red pepper flakes you have. I would start with a small amount and taste before you add all the red pepper.

Adapted from a recipe in Williams-Sonoma Complete Grilling Cookbook.

 

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Yield

4

Serving Size

1/4 of recipeAmount Per ServingCalories185Total Fat14gSaturated Fat2gUnsaturated Fat11.5gCholesterol0mgSodium1140mgCarbohydrates16gFiber4.7gSugar5.61.7g

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