Unbeknownst to many, eggplant is actually a member of the potato family. It can be enjoyed grilled, hot or cold, barbecued, deep fried, roasted or sautéed. Eggplants are inexpensive and can be purchased all year-round. When selecting eggplant, choose the ones that are lighter in weight and have firm, unblemished, shiny skin and green, fresh-looking leaves and stalks. You may find that heavier eggplants have bitter seeds. For our purposes today, we will be grilling eggplant. Roasting eggplants can be messy but is definitely worth the effort as the grill aroma will add immensely to the taste of the eggplant. Here are a few grilling tips for grilling eggplant that you can use next time you have that grill fired up.

1. Peel lengthwise strips of skin from the eggplant, it will look striped.  

2. Cut eggplant crosswise into rounds about 3/8 inch thick.

3. Brush both sides of slices with olive oil and season with salt just before grilling.

4. Heat gas grill to high, put eggplant slices on the grate and cover the grill.

5. Check occasionally and turn with tongs, until the slices are well-browned on both sides, 3-4 minutes per side.

6. Move slices to upper rack to finish cooking. Let sit 15-20 minutes.

In a perfect world, grilled eggplant should served shortly after grilling. Be sure to season while still warm to ensure the seasoning penetrates and holds. If you need to refrigerate for later use, be sure to drain the grilled eggplant of excess liquid and cover with olive oil. Season again before serving.  

Grilled eggplants facts courtesy of Harry’s Farmers Market.

Photo courtesy of agricultureguide.org.

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