This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Fried eggplant is simply sautรฉed and dressed with tahini sauce, a Lebanese recipe favorite. Studded with pomegranate seeds and mint, and you’ve got showstopper beauty and flavor.
I love the notes you write to me. So many of them speak to how a recipe or a story or memory Iโve shared inspires a recipe, a story, a memory of your own. We are so much about roots, about nostalgia, and the food we make, touch, smell, share, and eat is a graced pathway there.
My recipe for Fried Eggplant is my version of one of my momโs favorites. The very sight of an eggplant floods my head and heart with her, and I buy far more than I could ever use up because I canโt resist them. This is pan fried eggplant rather than deep fried, which would be difficult for eggplant because it is such a soft vegetable.
This eggplant is smartly selected, sliced, and dredged in seasoned flour, then gently laid to sizzle in shimmering hot oil (hot, but not smoking). A finish of garlicky tahini sauce takes the game to a whole other level of layeredโas in, deep!โflavor.
Preparing Eggplant for Frying
Choosing the right eggplant is the first step to achieving great results. Look for a eggplant with a dark purple, smooth, shiny surface. This indicates a ripe and fresh vegetable. Many consider extracting the excess moisture is crucial to avoid soggy slices. I don’t call for this because I don’t think it does that much to prevent softening. But, a simple method involves sprinkling kosher salt on thin slices and allowing them to rest on a cutting board or wire rack, with a paper towel to absorb the moisture.
Any eggplant variety will be delicious sauteed like this. Just be sure your selection is firm, shiny, green-stemmed, and fresh. Much like the firm eggplants you would choose to make a delicious baba ganoush recipe. Read more about the Lebanese love of eggplant here, and how to choose one here.
Essential Ingredients and Seasoning
A delightful pan-fried eggplant is very simple with just a few ingredients. Mom always approached this in the best way, in my opinion: dusting the slices of eggplant in seasoned flour, not a heavy breading process with standard or Italian bread crumbs and/or panko breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese for breaded eggplant slices. That style is often layered with marinara and mozzarella cheese for parmesan.
The flour needs a solid pinch of sea salt, paprika, garlic powder–and sometimes I’ll add a hit of dried mint or 7 spice, a few grinds of black pepper. Be sure when dredging to always knock off the excess flour, otherwise the flour will blacken the olive oil. Can you make this recipe gluten-free by dispensing with the flour? Yes, sure can. Season the eggplant with salt and spices, or try another type of flour for coating (rice flour with a little cornstarch, for example).
Perfecting the Frying Process
While not deep fried, thereย isย plenty of olive oil used to make pan fried eggplant. Eggplant is like a sponge. Ask my sister Peg sometime about how I used the best olive oil on the counter to make eggplant one time in Chicago. Sheโll unleash a fury on the pricey half bottle (sheโll tell you it was even more than half) I used to sautรฉ my eggplant. And for an undeserving dude no less. Hey, eggplant, as I said, loves olive oil as much as the rest of us. Just be aware this is going to happen. And embrace. Olive oil is a healthy fat, right? My favorites of course are Lebanese Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Achieving perfect, golden brown fried eggplant slices requires attention to detail. Start by slicing the eggplant into thin, even pieces. Set up a breading station with purpose flour, an egg mixture, and a breadcrumb mixture ready for coating. Frying is best accomplished in a hot frying pan over medium heat. Using a slotted spoon, gently lower each slice into the oil, ensuring they’re cooked in a single layer for even browning.
Serving Suggestions and Pairings
My momโs version of this dish was so so simple. She ate the eggplant immediately, out of the pan, with a dash more salt and thin pita bread. Eyes-closed-divine. I like to dress up a platter of the golden slices with my garlickyย tahini sauce recipeย (which could be mellowed out usingย roasted garlic), pomegranate seeds, mint. A rummage around the fridge and pantry will find your way to dressing your platter: any herb, a yogurt sauce or vinaigrette, toasted nuts. The key is to be ready to serve the eggplant the moment it is out of the pan.
Once your eggplant is ready, serving options abound. It’s a side dish or the star as the main dish. Consider creating a classic eggplant parmesan dish or pairing them with mujadara, bulgur pilaf, or an Italian pasta salad for a well-rounded meal. These fried delights also make a delicious appetizer when served with mint or fresh basil or layers of fresh mozzarella.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Leftovers can be just as delicious. Place any remaining fried eggplant in an airtight container in the refrigerator. For reheating, warm in a lightly oiled hot sautรฉ pan or in an air fryer following your machine’s cooking process. I love to eat cold fried eggplant pieces with bread. Mmmm.
Fried Eggplant Recipe
Ingredients
For the eggplant:
- 1 medium globe eggplant
- 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried mint
- Few grinds black pepper
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For the Tahini Sauce
- 3 tablespoons tahini
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice, or plain yogurt
- 1 clove garlic, grated or minced
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- ice water
For finishing:
- pomegranate seeds
- fresh mint, chopped
Instructions
- Slice the eggplant crosswise in ยผ-inch rounds.
- In a small bowl or on a small plate, whisk the flour, salt, dried mint, and pepper. Dredge the eggplant in the flour and knock of any excess.
- In a large sautรฉ pan, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat until shimmering, but not smoking. Place the coated eggplant in the hot oil and cook until golden, about 3 minutes. Turn the eggplant and add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, swirling the oil to spread under the eggplant slices. Cook until golden, about another 3 minutes.
- Remove the eggplant to a paper towel-lined plate to rest for a few minutes.
- Make the tahini sauce. Stir the tahini, yogurt, garlic and salt. Add ice water one tablespoon at a time until the mixture is saucy enough to drizzle over the eggplant.
- Arrange the eggplant on a serving platter. Spoon the sauceover the eggplant and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and chopped mint. Serve immediately.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thanks for great recipe. Just had a delicious fried eggplant sandwich. Tahini ice cold so sprinkled with Maldon Smoked Sea Salt. Tasty! Does tahini have to be refrigerated?