How to Marinate Eggplant

Eggplant is wonderfully versatile. Whether it is used in eggplant parmesan or a fried eggplant recipe, it absorbs the flavor of the herbs and spices accompanying it. Follow these steps to marinate eggplant for a side dish or a healthy snack.

Things You'll Need

• 2 large eggplants
• 1/3 cup salt
• 2 tsp. white vinegar
• 3 1/2 cups olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped garlic
• 2 tbsp. dried oregano
• Vegetable peeler
• Colander
• Bowl

Instructions

1. Remove the eggplant skins with the vegetable peeler.

2. Slice the eggplant in pieces that are about 1/4 to 1/3 of an inch thick. You will be left with eggplant rounds. Then slice the eggplant rounds into several pieces so you are left with thick "shoe string shapes."

3. Put eggplant strips in a bowl with salt. Toss it well and make sure it is well coated.

4. Place the eggplant in the colander. Then take a similar sized bowl, and place this bowl on top of the eggplant in the colander and let it rest for about an hour. This will help remove the bitterness from the eggplant.

5. Rinse the salt off vigorously with cold water and squeeze it dry with a paper towel.

6. Set the eggplant in a bowl with the vinegar. Allow the eggplant to sit in the vinegar for 20 minutes.

7. Remove the vinegar from the eggplant by draining it, and again squeezing it dry.

8. Combine all other ingredients in a bowl and add eggplant. Toss the eggplant so that it is well coated in herbs and olive oil. From this point you can seal your marinated eggplant in an airtight jar, or move to the grill on foil for smoking.

Tips & Warnings

• If you marinate your eggplant and plan on grilling it with other vegetables, do not cut it into shoe string shapes. Leaving it as a regular "round" shape will work better for a grilling recipe.

Resources

• A great site for recipes and other ideas, including how to marinate eggplant.
• This site offers a fantastic recipe on how to grill marinated eggplant.