Balsamic Marinated Grilled Eggplant

April 27, 2016

Balsamic Marinated Grilled Eggplant


Grilled eggplant can be one of the great treats of summer. Lusciously tender eggplant, with bits of crispy charred edges here and there.
Unfortunately, most often grilled eggplant ends up being overcooked (read this a burned) and flavorless or, even worse, undercooked with a gummy-bear like texture.
I mean, how many times have you returned from the BBQ with those stripey bitter shoe-soles trying to decide if they were suitable for human consumption?
I know, few too many...

Eggplant


This explains why there is plenty of disagreement among cooks when it comes to grilling eggplant: how to select the right eggplant, whether to salt or not, marinade or not etc.
Personally I look for firm eggplants with deep colored, shiny unwrinkled skin.
I also think that the power of a marinate guarantees great grilled eggplant: crispy brown on the outside, creamy sweet on the inside, and full of flavor.

Balsamic Marinated Grilled Eggplant


This recipe right here is my absolutely favorite way to make grilled eggplant. A super simple marinade made with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and garlic that yields great...let me rephrase it...that yields AWESOME results.
I've made this recipe over and over for parties and guests and it's always been a hit.
It’s perfect for any summer holiday get-together.
Every time I make it I always double, triple even quadruple the recipe hoping to have some leftovers, but alas, it never happens.
Maybe eI should try quintuple or sextuple next time...

Balsamic Marinated Grilled Eggplant


Balsamic Marinated Grilled Eggplant                                                                                           Print this recipe!

Ingredients
Serves 4 as a side

1 large eggplant
6 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 Thai chili, minced (optional)
Fine grain salt
Ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Cut eggplant in half and then slice into ¼-inch thick half moons.
Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and let stand in a colander for about 30 minutes to draw moisture out.
Give the slices a quick rinse to remove most of the salt, pat them dry with paper towels. Set aside.
In a small bowl combine olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, Thai chili (if using), salt, and pepper in a bowl.
Combine eggplant and marinade in a Ziploc bag or a shallow dish. Seal or cover and marinate for at least 15 minutes.
Heat a grill or a grill pan to medium-high (if you’re using an outdoor grill lightly oil the grill grates) and Grill eggplant slices for approximately 2 to 3 minutes a side, or until you get good grill marks.
Remove from grill and brush with leftover marinade remaining , sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve!

Nutrition facts

One serving yields 169 calories, 14 grams of fat, 11 grams of carbs, and 1 gram of protein.

12 comments:

  1. Grilled eggplant is probably my favorite way to eat it! I used to just grill slices on my old tiny George Foreman grill when the craving hit!

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  2. This looks amazing! Love the balsamic flavors :)

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  3. Wow, you make this look fantastic! Thank you!

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  4. methinks you should octuple! ;-)

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  5. I am always pan-sauteing or baking my eggplant - I so gotta grill it this summer - thanks for the inspiration, my friend - I am so gonna try this awesmazing recipe!

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  6. your eggplant looks perfectly prepared. love the balsamic marinade.

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  7. I did this but had a problem when the egg plant tasted like salt... I salt sweated the eggplant slices. I left the salt on for around 45 min. Can you help me with why? I used Kosher salt also.
    Thanks in advance.

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    1. Hi ColleenAnn, I hope you don't mind me replying as I made this last night. I salted mine for 20min and then rinsed it thoroughly and patted dry with absorbed paper. Mine was delicious. Maybe you needed to rinse a bit more. :)

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    2. Hi ColleenAnn, I hope you don't mind me replying but I made this last night. I salted min for 20min then rinsed it thoroughly and patted dry with absorbed paper. Maybe some more rinsing might help. It was delicious and I'll be making this a lot more.

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  8. Sounds so good, can't wait to try. You mention cutting into half-moons, yet the photo shows your eggplants differently in full circles. Which one do you do?

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    1. Ditto? Why write "half moons" but show full slice? Does it make a difference?

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  9. I tried this with one variation; I was intrigued by the suggestion of a chili pepper, and all I had was peri-peri (garlic and pepper) sauce, which I subbed for the garlic and pepper. I think I used about 3T. It was scrumptious!

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