Do you ever assume you’re doing something right and you keep doing and doing it until finally one day, you have this inkling to check and you’re totally wrong? (No? No one? Tap, tap, tap, is the mike on?…)
Well, I had one of those moments happen to me the other day and I was completely taken by surprise. I love eggplant and have always enjoyed making eggplant parmesan, sautéing it and adding it to my pasta dishes and mixing it into a casserole dish. However, I never knew that it was necessary to ‘prep’ the eggplant before actually cooking it. My eggplant tasted good (to me, anyway), but something told me that it just wasn’t quite right. It was either too greasy or had this sort of bitter taste. But I guess you know what they say when you assume. Not that this is such a huge tragedy and I made such a grave error, but after poking around online the other day and reading this article, someone finally arrived to a well-lit home.
It was as if the final piece of the puzzle had finally clicked in. I never knew it was common practice to partially peel the eggplant, I just always thought that people were trying to give their eggplant more of a decorative look. And the bitterness that I often tasted in my eggplant dishes, I just thought was more of an issue with the eggplant I selected versus my being able to do something about it. The greasiness I figured was just from me being heavy handed with the olive oil and the other ingredients I was using in that particular recipe. Nope!
After reading this article, I was quite eager to make a dish with eggplant so that I could put these tips to the test. I wanted a recipe that would be on the lighter side and one that would showcase the eggplant. Eggplant parm (or anything parm) is a sure favorite of Healthy Chow’s but sometimes with all the breading and cheese, it’s hard to actually taste the eggplant. And, I wasn’t quite in the mood for a casserole-like dish just yet. That said, I decided to make classic grilled eggplant. It’s healthy, can be added to anything and everything and very simple (plus, I had all the ingredients on hand – bonus!).
If you’re like Healthy Chow and you’ve had less than stellar eggplant in your recipes, I’ve made a quick little tutorial on how to properly prep your eggplant. And if you’re unlike Healthy Chow and prepping your eggplant was already part of your cooking repertoire, then this will be a refresher for you.
Make Your Eggplant Go from So-So to So Good:
1) Start with a clean eggplant. Thoroughly wash and dry your eggplant as you would any other fruit or vegetable.
2) Then, with a vegetable peeler, peel off some of the skin. You want your eggplant to end up resembling a zebra.
3) Next, cut up your eggplant in about 1/3 inch slices.
4) Lay your eggplant slices out on plates, a drying rack (I don’t own one) or in a colander. I used my new cutting boards. Then, generously salt your eggplant slices (have no fear, you’ll be rinsing the salt off later).
5) Now, go catch-up on your Google reader for an hour or so as your eggplant sits in the salt. Or, go for a speed walk and sweat it out as your eggplant does the same. Check out those beads of sweat…
6) After you and your eggplant are a sweaty mess, rinse your eggplant under cold water to remove the excess salt (feel free to shower yourself as well 
). You’ll want to sandwich each slice (or a few slices) between your hands to squeeze out all the water. Don’t be afraid to really press down; it’s important to get out all of the moisture. This will help in resulting in less greasy eggplant. Then, lay out the slices between two layers of paper towels and give them a pat down for the final step in the drying process.
7) You’re now done! Your eggplant has been prepped and it’s now ready for any recipe of your liking.
As I mentioned previously, I decided to grill my eggplant. But before grilling it, I decided to make a quick balsamic marinade.
For one medium sized eggplant, I used:
- 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar, Trader Joe’s brand
- 1 TBSP of olive oil
- s&p
- 1 TBSP of chopped garlic (or more if you <3 garlic)
- few shakes of garlic powder
- few shakes of dried basil
- pinch of brown sugar (or dried sweetener of your choice)
1) Get all your ingredients into a large bowl and give it a good stir.
2) Drop your eggplant into the marinade and let it sit for at least 30 minutes (more time for you and your Google reader).
3) After your eggplant has finished marinating, turn on your indoor grill (or you can bake them in the oven). I used my beloved George Foreman grill. Make sure to wipe up as much of the marinade as you can with the eggplant slices before dropping them onto the grill.
4) Let your eggplant sit on the grill for 3-5 minutes. My eggplant wasn’t sliced too thick, so it didn’t take long for it to cook.
5) In a few hot minutes (literally), you’ll end up with this…
I don’t know if sexy ever left, but if it did, those grill marks definitely brought it back…
Paired with a humungo salad…
So so so so so so so good!
So I know prepping the eggplant requires a bit more work than just slicing and sautéing/grilling it, but it’s totally worth it. My eggplant was cooked to perfection. There wasn’t a slight hint of bitterness or greasiness. Plus, because all of the moisture was taken out in the salting and drying process, my eggplant stood up quite well in my George Foreman. At times when I grill vegetables on my George Foreman, they can end up a bit soggy or mushy. Not in this instance – the eggplant was firm and almost had the consistency of a piece of meat. Because all of the moisture was taken out, my eggplant was full of flavor from the marinade and not greasy from the olive oil. This was such a good way to bulk up my already large and in charge salad!
I still can’t believe I spent all this time not knowing about prepping an eggplant. I was honestly taken aback when I stumbled upon this information. It goes to show that there’s a whole wealth of knowledge available online (hint, hint)…
Random question: What’s your favorite item you buy at Trader Joe’s? If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s in your area (I’m so sorry), what item do you read about most that people love from Trader Joe’s?
Namasté,
Nicole
Hi, I'm Nicole and welcome to Healthy Chow. My last name is Chow and this is my journey to living a life that is healthy and well-balanced. That being said, I thought Healthy Chow would be an appropriate name for my blog! I love to eat, I'm growing my love to cook and I'm in love with family, yoga and creating my own jewelry. This blog was started as a way to remind myself (and the world) that there isn't just one definition of healthy. We each just need to find our own meaning. Please join me as I find mine.
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that grilled eggplant looks perfect! great tutorial
i’m one of those without a Tjs, and I’ll be asking this same question this week since I get to go this weekend!!!
Hi Brandi – thank you! I really had no idea that this needed to be done before cooking eggplant. Can you believe it?
I <3 Trader Joe's! Will this be your first time? If you need suggestions, I'm your girl!
Great eggplant Nicole! I love that it was a simple techinique too.
Thanks Nicci! It was super easy and super good
i’m new here — great job on the tons of step-by-step photos. About TJ’s, I’ve had mixed results, but I’d have to say the frozen Korean-style beef ribs are pretty impressive, although I’m not sure they sell them in all markets nationwide.
Thanks Justin. Welcome! I appreciate the compliment. I’ve never tried those but I have seen them in the TJ’s in my area. Thanks for visiting!
I always hear that you are supposed to prep your eggplant this way, but I NEVER have the patience or time when it comes time to cook it. I really need to give this a try because I hear it makes a world of difference.
Oh my, I think there are way too many products for me to list, but some of my top favs are the Peach Salsa, Poppyseed Dressing, Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookie, Tart Fro-Yo and Blueberry Jam. There are about 1000 more that I am not listing though.
Lauren! I have never tried any of those TJ’s products. Now, I’m going to have to add those to my list. But that’s OK, because I love going to Trader Joe’s and I love trying new stuff from there. Thanks!
that looks fantastic! i think i tried the salting thing once, but didn’t notice anything, so i usually just go the quick and easy route. I’ll have to remember the zebra next time though!
You’ve been making such fabulous recipes (sorry i can’t keep up!), everything looks fab nicole
The one thing i almost always walk out of tj’s with is their greek yogurt, but the figs i got last week are ripe in my mind
(1lb black mission figs for $4!!)
Hi Shannon! Thank you so much. That means a lot to me. I wouldn’t say you’ve been slacking or lacking at all – the pictures of the food you post are always amazing and you’re always so inventive (ex: muesli with cantaloupe and chicken, green bean, corn & farro Salad w/ goat cheese). And oh yeah, the homemade pita chips looked absolutely delish and the perfect snack!
I love the Greek yogurt and they were out the other day! Can you believe?! I’ll keep an eye out for the figs – that’s a great deal!
nicole! thank you so much for posting this eggplant tutorial–i never make eggplant (except for my eggplant lasagna recipe) because I never know how to prepare it–and the grill marks def turn up the sexiness factor on these guys!
As for TJ: i hear the 2 buck Chuck (aka Charles Shaw wine) is awesome, along with the peanut butter filled pretzels, and their almond butter!
Glad you liked it, Kristen. I’ll admit prepping the eggplant takes more work, but it’s well worth it. The grill marks were the best part! Funny how the little things mean so much to us, huh?
I forgot about those PB filled pretzels! Those would be dangerous in my house
I love eggplant! They have delicious eggplant and chicken parm at Luigi’s in Wayland.
I almost started a fire when I was cooking eggplant in my tiny apt. in Waltham. I was heating up the oil in my frying pan and started watching tv. I got so engrossed in the show that I forgot to throw in the eggplant. The Fire Marshall and fire dept showed up at my door. Oops. I still made the eggplant and it was sooo worth it!
What? I had no idea that that happened, Michelle! What show were you watching? Is Luigi’s good? I’ve driven by it but never tried it. Glad you didn’t burn your mini apartment down
Yum! I am really lazy with eggplant. I peel it because the skin is tough on my tummy, but I never take the time to salt it. I guess I should try and see if I taste a difference, but I’ve been happy with the results so I haven’t bothered.
I don’t think I can pick a favorite Trader Joe’s product!I didn’t have one near me for the 2 years I was in NH, so now that I’m back in MA, I want everything!
I know the feeling, Shannon! I have to make a list before going to TJ’s or else I will wind up buying everything and spending hours in there!
Ohhh my roommate would love that eggplant recipe. Actually I have a recipe for you that you may enjoy that has eggplant as part of a salad as well:
Hmm.. items at Trader Joe’s.. triple layer hummus, crispy snap peas, frozen fruits (mango and papaya yumm), tomato-less corn salsa, pear & gorgonzola dressing, cilantro dressing (Both are refrigerated..over at my TJ’s they keep them by the produce), raspberry & vanilla cream bars (frozen section), ohh and Lindeman’s Lambic Framboise.
Hi Katharina,
I’m curious about the recipe. Is it on your blog? I love eggplant and salad recipes!
The frozen mango and papaya are staples in my freezer. I love them in my yogurt or with just a squirt or honey or agave nectar drizzled on top. I think you might be the third person who has recommended that cilantro dressing. I love cilantro, so this would be perfect for me! Thanks for all of the recommendations!
I don’t have a TJs in Florida (booo) but when I’m home in MA, I love the fruit leather and the mini-meringues. Yum!
I’m going to Maine for a family reunion later this month and already warned my New England family members that they’ll need to stock the kitchen from TJs!
You poor thing, Katy! Well, at least you have one (or more) to go to when you come home to MA. I have had the fruit leathers but not the mini-meringues. I’ll have to add that to my list – it just keeps getting longer and longer… Have fun at your family reunion and have fun with all your TJ’s products
!
I love eggplant! Love those grill marks on yours. I’ve never salted it before though, so I should try that!
I can’t pick one thing from TJs either!
Grill marks are making me really happy recently, Kerstin! It’s the craziest thing
!
TJ’s ROCKS!!!
I just bought an eggplant yesterday–I can’t WAIT to chow on it this weekend
It’s been too long since I last had it.
Oh man I have toooooo many faves at TJ’s….if I had to pick one thing it would be the prepared Whole Wheat Pizza Dough! It’s so easy to use and eat.
Hi Allie,
Eggplant is so-so good! I just had it in a sandwich which had some other roasted/sauteed veggies like red roasted pepper, squash and spinach. It was so delish and didn’t even need melted cheese – can you imagine?!
I really have to try the whole wheat pizza dough. You always make the best looking pizzas!