When properly prepared, eggplant is irresistible in dishes like a Ratatouille Tart, Sheet-Pan Eggplant Parmesan, and Sweet-and-Sour Eggplant Salad. “Eggplants are a sponge for flavor,” says Vera Fabian, a farmer and the co-owner of Ten Mothers Farm in Cedar Grove, North Carolina. Fabian grows several varieties of eggplant, including Japanese and fairytale eggplant.
Eggplant gets an unfair reputation for being soggy or even slimy. But with the right prep and cooking techniques, you can roast, sauté, or grill this summer fruit (yes, fruit!) to crispy, creamy perfection. “The key to any of these methods is hot, high temperatures,” says Fabian. “If you have those high temperatures, you’re not going to get any slime. You’re going to get a caramelized outer layer and a creamy interior.”
Some other tips that Fabian shares with her weekly CSA customers: Cut it into cubes or slices at least one inch thick, since moisture-heavy eggplant will shrink when you cook it. Also make sure your oven is fully preheated and your pan is sizzling hot before cooking eggplant. And yes, you can cook it in oil.
“Don’t be too afraid of oil. It’s your friend,” Fabian adds. Evenly coating or brushing — not drenching — eggplant in a little oil will help it caramelize and ensure it doesn’t stick to the pan or grill. Finally, cook your eggplant until it’s golden brown and creamy. “You really want it to be fall-apart tender, all the way through,” she notes. “If you’re getting any resistance with a fork, it’s not done.”
Many cooks also wonder whether you need to salt and peel eggplant. The answer varies depending on the size and freshness of your eggplant, as well as how you plan to cook it. Japanese eggplant, for example, rarely requires salting (we love it sautéed with black garlic tahini dressing or grilled with a ginger-plum sauce) while larger varieties like globe eggplant, the most common variety at the grocery store, might need salting to draw out excess moisture. For fried preparations like Eggplant Parmesan, salting is essential — more on that below.
While you can turn this versatile fruit into smoky Baba Ganoush or even Yunnan-style stuffed eggplant, it also shines when simply cooked with a little oil and salt. Read on for our guide to cooking any type of eggplant, whether you’re using your oven, grill, or air fryer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need to salt eggplant?
Salting eggplant draws out the moisture, allowing it to get crispy and caramelized on the exterior, and keeping it from getting soggy in the final dish. Some say it removes bitter flavors, but since bitterness has been bred out of most modern eggplants, salting is primarily about texture. You definitely want to salt eggplant if you’re frying it for dishes like Eggplant Parmesan or Fried Eggplant with Honey so it gets nice and crisp.
A fresh eggplant from your garden or the farmers market generally doesn’t need to be salted for other preparations, but if your eggplant has a lot of seeds or dull (as opposed to lustrous) skin, these are signs that you might want to salt your eggplant to help it reach its potential.
To salt eggplant: Slice it and put it on a paper-towel-lined sheet pan; salt it generously and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. Before cooking, pat dry any moisture that has beaded to the surface with a paper towel to ensure the eggplant will brown. For an even faster method, you can make a salt water brine. Stir together one cubed eggplant, four cups water, and ¼ cup salt in a large bowl. Place a small plate on top of the eggplant to keep cubes submerged, and let soak for 15 minutes. Drain well and pat the eggplant dry with a paper towel.
Do you need to peel eggplant?
Eggplant peel is edible, but whether or not you want to peel it depends on the variety you’re using and its freshness. Smaller varieties such as Japanese eggplant generally don’t need to be peeled, and can even add flavor to the final dish. Larger varieties like globe eggplant have thicker skin that might become slightly tough and chewy when cooked, so you might opt to peel it, but it’s a personal preference.
How to roast eggplant
Cut eggplant into equal-sized chunks, coins, or halves; toss or brush with oil and season with salt, ensuring the eggplant is fully oiled (but not drenched). Place it on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan; bake in a preheated oven at 425°F until it is golden brown and very tender for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping it once while cooking.
How to grill eggplant
Cut the eggplant into slices lengthwise; brush the slices with oil and season with salt, ensuring the eggplant is fully oiled (but not drenched); grill the slices over medium-high heat until golden brown and very tender, flipping once, about five to 10 minutes.
How to broil eggplant
Cut the eggplant into equal-sized chunks, coins, or halves; toss or brush with oil and season with salt, ensuring that the eggplant is fully oiled (but not drenched). Place it on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan; broil until golden brown and very tender, flipping once, five to 10 minutes.
How to sauté eggplant
Cut the eggplant into equal-sized chunks, slices, or coins. Heat olive oil in a large skillet until shimmering. Sauté eggplant until golden brown and very tender, about four to five minutes per side. Work in batches to ensure eggplant has space in the pan to brown.
How to air-fry eggplant
Cut the eggplant into equal-sized chunks, coins, or halves; toss or brush with oil and season with salt, ensuring eggplant is fully oiled (but not drenched). Preheat the air fryer to 400°F to 425°F. Place the eggplant in the air fryer basket and cook until it is golden brown and very tender, flipping once, about 12 to 15 minutes.
This article was written by Audrey Morgan from Food & Wine and was legally licensed through the DiveMarketplace by Industry Dive. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.
