American · Main · Easy
Melitzanosalata
Smoky roasted eggplant mashed with garlic, lemon and olive oil. Simple, silky, and endlessly scoopable.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Melitzanosalata, in 5 ideas
- Char the eggplant directly over a gas flame for real smokiness.
- Drain the flesh in a colander, eggplant holds a lot of water.
- Raw garlic is traditional, but roast it for a mellower dip.
- Do not over-blend, a little texture is good.
- Smoked paprika on top is a nice modern touch.
What you need
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplants
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 60ml olive oil, plus more to serve
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- Smoked paprika, to finish
How to make it
Directions
- Prick the eggplants and roast at 200C (400F) for 30 minutes until completely collapsed, or char over a gas flame.
- Cool, halve and scoop the flesh into a colander to drain 10 minutes.
- Chop the flesh roughly and mix with garlic, olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper.
- Spread in a bowl, top with parsley, paprika and a thread of oil.
- Serve with bread or as part of a meze spread.
Money saver. Eggplants are cheapest in late summer, roast a batch and freeze the flesh for dips all winter.