Marinated Minty Grilled Eggplant
If you don’t love eggplant, try this recipe, then tell me if you still don’t like it. The eggplant is cut into thin disks, grilled for a bit of char, then marinated to soak up all of the minty flavours. It is so delicious, fresh, and they keep a firm texture, so it’s not the smooshy texture most people associate with eggplant. It pairs well with any Mediterranean dish as a lovely side.
Ingredients:
2 large eggplants
Salt for sprinkling
½ cup olive oil, divided
1 handful of mint leaves
2 garlic cloves
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
juice from ½ a lemon
zest from 1 lemon
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Method:
Wash and cut your eggplants into thin disks (about ½ inch thick).
Lay the disks out on a baking tray and sprinkle them generously with salt to draw out the bitter liquid. Leave for 15-20 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare your marinade by chopping the mint leaves and garlic. Add the mint, garlic, ¼ cup olive oil, ½ tsp salt, pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest, and apple cider vinegar to a small bowl and mix well.
Use a paper towel to dab away any liquid drawn out of the eggplants.
If you have a pastry brush, brush ¼ cup of olive oil over the eggplants. If you don’t have a pastry brush, add the eggplant to a bowl, drizzle over the olive oil, then toss well using your hands.
Heat a grill to medium heat, then place the eggplant on the grill. Grill until they are slightly charred on the outside and cooked through, about 5-10 minutes on each side (depending on how hot your grill is).
Once cooked, add the eggplant to a jar and add the prepared marinade. Shake to distribute the marinade between all the eggplant.
Leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, but ideally overnight.
Serve cold as a side to any Mediterranean dish and top with more salt or olive oil if needed. Enjoy!