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Grill/Barbecue

Grilled Eggplant Agrodolce With Mint & Fresno Pepper

June 12, 2014
4.5
2 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This eggplant is great as a side dish, but can be easily adapted into a main with the addition of chickpeas and some shreds of fresh mozzarella or crumbled feta cheese. Originally posted on strawberryplum.com. —Sarah Fioritto

Test Kitchen Notes

WHO: Sarah | strawberryplum spends her days as a restaurant server and her evenings dreaming up new recipes.
WHAT: Grilled eggplant goes Italian with a classic sugar and vinegar agrodolce dressing.
HOW: Throw sliced eggplant and Fresno peppers on the grill, then toss them in a dressing of sugar, white wine vinegar, and olive oil. Add some mint and serve (preferably to a slew of friends at a backyard party).
WHY WE LOVE IT: The sweet and sour elements from the agrodolce, the freshness from the mint, the earthiness of the eggplant, and the spice of the peppers countered by the sugar all somehow round out to a perfectly balanced summer side. —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 4 small eggplants, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • 3 Fresno peppers
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced
Directions
  1. Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant slices with salt and place them between paper towels. Press gently to remove moisture.
  2. Grill the eggplant and peppers over medium-hight heat for 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until the eggplant flesh is golden brown and the peppers are charred.
  3. Remove the charred skin from the peppers. Cut the peppers in half, lengthwise, and scrape out most of the seeds, unless you want your finished dish to be very spicy. Coarsely chop the peppers.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, vinegar, and olive oil. Season with about 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste, and a few twists of black pepper. Add the eggplant, peppers, and mint to the bowl and toss. Serve warm or at room temperature.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

1 Review

Natalie R. August 17, 2016
Good flavor, but I wish I had thought to use a mandolin. My slices were often too thick because I was using two large eggplants (all I had). I broiled on high instead of grilling for a similar effect, and the 1/4 inch ones came out perfect. It took four rounds of broiling to fit all of them.

I was suspicious of the flavor before I made this dish, but it works more elegantly than I imagined. The sweetness complements the eggplant very well. Thank you for posting! Hopefully I'll get it right next time.