Grill Eggplant

Also known as an “Aubergine,” the eggplant is technically a berry fruit, but is treated and prepared as a vegetable. The eggplant is a ubiquitous plant grown in many different climates. It's usually available year-round, but is best from late May to mid-October. Nearly all varieties have a white, spongy interior that becomes soft when cooked. It has a mild, sometimes smokey flavor that makes it a great base for experimentation with different herbs and toppings.It's also a hearty, filling vegetable, and is thus well-suited to serve as the basis of a vegetarian dish. While there are many different ways to prepare an eggplant, grilling is an easy method that yields delicious results. Read our advice on how to master the basic technique of grilling eggplant.

Ingredients

• eggplant (one large, or 2-3 smaller)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Steps

Grilling Simply-Seasoned Eggplant Slices

1. Choose your eggplant. Large globe eggplants (with a deep purple color) are the most common variety, and are what you will find in most supermarkets. You should select an eggplant that is firm and glossy and which also has a nice heft to it.
   • You should also examine the stem of an eggplant before selecting it: choose those which have bright green, fresh looking stems and caps.
   • In the past, eggplants had a bit of bad reputation as being a bitter vegetable, but most varieties available now have been bred to be much more mild. Even so, many chefs recommend that you select smaller, younger eggplants to ensure that your final dish will not be bitter.
2. Scope out other kinds of eggplant. Other varieties you might want to experiment with include Italian eggplants, which are quite similar to the large purple globes, but which tend to be smaller and slimmer.
   • You can also find Japanese eggplants (a small purple variety) or Chinese eggplants (also small, but which are a paler violet color) at specialty markets or farmer's markets.
   • If you can find them, try the very small Thai eggplants, which are green, round, and well-suited to being cooked whole.
3. Use your eggplant quickly. Eggplants perish fairly quickly. Thus, it's not a great idea to purchase large quantities at once while shopping. Once you bring them home, you should store them whole in the refrigerator and use within two days.Eggplant will become more bitter the longer you wait between picking/selecting it and cooking it.
4. Avoid using frozen eggplant for grilling.You can freeze eggplant, but once thawed, it won't be well-suited for grilling. You can choose to preserve some of your garden bounty by freezing it, but plan on using that for soups, stews, sauces and even for frying.
   • Grilled eggplant is an easy, quick, and delicious way to use up fresh eggplant.
5. Decide if you will peel the eggplant. Some recipes do call for you to peel the eggplant, and this may be a good idea if your eggplant is older or very large—the skin may be tough or bitter.
   • Peel with a paring knife or a sharp vegetable peeler, and be prepared to cook the eggplant fairly soon after (the flesh will quickly discolor once peeled).
   • If you've chosen a smaller, younger eggplant, then toughness and bitterness should not be a problem. The skin lends a heartiness to the dish as well as a pleasing color contrast.
6. Grill with the skin on for added nutrition. While the eggplant as a whole is a very nutritious vegetable, there is a higher concentration of the beneficial antioxidant nasunin in the skin. Similarly, the skin contains the phytochemical chlorogenic acid, which recent studies have indicated may help promote glucose tolerance.
7. Wash your eggplant. You should give your eggplant a good scrub, particularly if you do not plan on removing the skin.
8. Trim and cut the eggplant. Trim the ends of the eggplant, and then slice it with a very sharp knife. Your slices should be between ½-1inch thick. Experiment with different slicing techniques: the easiest preparation is to cut the eggplant into rounds.
   • You can also cut the eggplant in half length-wise and grill the two halves (or planks). This will work best on eggplants that are not too large and thick. Once halved, you should make shallow cuts with your knife on the flesh side of the eggplant. This will help ensure that the eggplant halves cook evenly throughout.
9. Brush the eggplant slices with olive oil. The oil will add flavor to your eggplant (the eggplant's interior acts like a sponge) and will also help keep it from sticking to the grill.
10. Season your eggplant. Sprinkle your slices with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. This is the basic, foundation recipe for grilling eggplant, and you'll end up with a surprisingly tasty result using only olive oil, salt and pepper.
    • Once you've masted the basic technique, you may want to begin experimenting with different herb, spice, and flavor combinations. We offer some tempting suggestions later in this article.
11. Grill your eggplant slices. For a charcoal grill, place your eggplant on the rack over medium hot coals. Leave the grill uncovered, and cook for about 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally until the center is soft and the skin is crisp.
    • For a gas grill, preheat the grill and once hot, reduce the heat to medium. Place the eggplant slices directly on the grill, cover, and cook for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally until the center is soft and the skin is crisp.
    • Remove the eggplant from the grill, taste a piece, and if necessary add more salt and/or pepper. It's ready to serve!

Experimenting with Different Eggplant Dishes

1. Grill the eggplant whole. This is a good method if you want to use your eggplant to make a dip or spread, and the preparation is even simpler: just wash the eggplant and place it on a high heat grill.
   • Turn the eggplant occasionally and leave it on the grill until the skin has blackened and collapsed.This should take about 20-30 minutes, but will vary depending upon the size of your eggplant and the heat of your grill.
   • Once cooled, cut the eggplant in half and drain any liquid. Remove the peel and mash the flesh of the eggplant (or use a food processor to get a smooth consistency).
   • The interior should be soft, with a smokey roasted flavor that will serve well as the basis of a Mediterranean dish like Make Baba Ghanoush.
2. Create more complex flavor profiles. If you'd like your eggplant dish to be a bit more nuanced, it's very easy to take the standard olive oil, salt and pepper flavor base and kick it up a notch or two. After you've washed and cut your eggplant slices, prepare a garlic-infused olive oil mix by blending 1/3 cup of olive oil with 1 tablespoon of minced garlic.
   • Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of finely minced fresh herbs to this olive oil mixture. You can use whatever you have on hand, but good options are parsley, rosemary, thyme, or basil (or any combination).
   • Brush the oil mixture on your eggplant slices and sprinkle with a large-grain salt and give the slices a generous dusting of freshly ground black pepper. Then proceed to grill according to the above directions.
3. Try Greek flavors. Because the eggplant is such a neutral-tasting vegetable, and because it is available nearly world-wide, it is featured in many different cooking styles. You can take your basic olive oil and add seasonings to introduce a bit of worldly culture to your dinner table. For a Greek-style marinade:
   • Mix 1/3 cup olive oil with ¼ cup minced olives or tapenade, brush this over the eggplant slices, and then grill until the flesh is soft and the skin is crisp.
   • Once off the heat, add crumbled feta cheese to taste and more olives, if desired.
4. Consider an Italian eggplant dish. Mix 1/3 cup of olive oil with 1 tablespoon of minced garlic and ½-1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Add salt to taste. Brush this on the eggplant slices before grilling, and once off the grill, grate parmesan cheese over the hot eggplant.
   • Consider adding an additional topping of fresh diced tomatoes and basil after you've removed the eggplant from the grill.
   • You could also place slices of fresh mozzarella on the eggplant in the final few minutes of grilling. Cover with a lid to ensure that the mozzarella melts completely.
   • If you're adding cheese to the dish, you may want to cut down on the salt when you initially season the eggplant (the cheese will impart a bit of saltiness to the dish).
5. Try Japanese-style eggplant. Begin by brushing your eggplant slices with plain olive oil or vegetable oil. Heat ¼ cup miso, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of mirin, and 2 tablespoons of sake in a saucepan. Once the sugar dissolves, add 1 tablespoon of grated ginger. Brush this mixture over your eggplant halfway through the grilling process.
6. Prepare a Chinese marinade. Mix 1 tablespoon of sesame oil with 4 tablespoons of hoisin sauce, 1 teaspoon of rice-wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, a dash of chili powder and a dash of minced ginger. Brush this mixture over the eggplant slices and grill.
7. Experiment with North African flavors. Blend 3 tablespoons of olive oil with 2 tablespoons of honey and 1 tablespoon of ground cumin. Sprinkle with salt if desired, and grill.
   • Serve this eggplant dish with red onion slices (grilled or raw), tomatoes (optional) and cooked ground beef or lamb.
8. Grill a Lebanese eggplant dish: Start with your 1/3 cup olive oil and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic base. Add salt if desired, and grill.
   • In the last few minutes of grilling, brush the slices with a coating of thick plain yogurt which has been blended with freshly squeezed lemon juice (add as much or as little lemon juice as you'd like). Sprinkle the final dish with finely chopped mint to taste.

Tips

• If you are grilling eggplant planks as opposed to slices, be sure to add a few thin cuts into the skin to ensure even cooking. Also be sure to push the olive mixture of your choice into the cuts in the skin.
• Our directions indicate that you should grill on medium heat. Depending upon your grill and the thickness of your eggplant, they should be done in about 10 minutes of total cooking time.
• If you crank the heat higher, the cooking time will be shortened, but you risk not getting the center cooked through.

Related Articles

• Bake Eggplant
• Cook Aubergine
• Make Eggplant Caviar
• Make Eggplant Parmigiana

Sources and Citations

See also

• Salt Eggplant
• Cook Eggplant
• Fry Eggplant
• Cook Aubergine
• Bake Eggplant
• Pickle Eggplant
• Make Eggplant Fritters
• Make Gutti Vankaya
• Reduce the Bitterness of Eggplants
• Peel Eggplant

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