A smooth and smoky eggplant salad blended with sesame oil and lime juice, topped with roasted cherry tomatoes and bell peppers for a vibrant, summery dish.
Creamy eggplant salad is a delightful and light dish that captures the essence of summer. The smoky flavor of baked eggplant blended with sesame oil and lime juice creates a smooth and flavorful base. Paired with roasted cherry tomatoes and bell peppers, this salad is a feast for both the eyes and the palate.
Simple yet sophisticated, this Armenian-inspired recipe requires minimal ingredients and effort, making it perfect for a quick snack or a party appetizer. The natural sweetness of the vegetables shines through, offering a healthy and satisfying option for any occasion.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven grill (broiler) to high, with a rack about 10 cm (4 in) below it.
- Prick each eggplant 3–4 times with a fork and put them on the lined tray.
- Grill for 25–35 minutes, turning every 8 minutes, until the skin is blackened all over, the eggplants collapse and a knife slides in with no resistance; on a gas hob, char them directly on the flame for 10–15 minutes, turning with tongs.
- Put the eggplants in the bowl, cover with a plate and leave for 10 minutes; the steam loosens the skin.
- Split the eggplants and scoop the flesh away from the skin with a spoon, picking off any black flakes.
- Put the flesh in the sieve over the bowl and let it drain for 30 minutes, pressing lightly once or twice.
- Blend the drained flesh with the sesame oil, lime juice and a little salt and pepper until smooth.
- Taste and add more lime juice or salt if needed.
- Halve the cherry tomatoes.
- Heat the olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat and cook the pepper strips for 4 minutes, until soft at the edges.
- Add the tomatoes cut side down and cook for 2–3 minutes without stirring, until blistered and caramelised; season with a pinch of salt.
- Spread the eggplant cream on a serving plate and top it with the tomatoes and pepper.
- Serve at room temperature with fresh bread.
- Prepare the Eggplant
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Roast the eggplants whole until soft and slightly charred, about 20–25 minutes.
- Let the eggplants cool slightly, then peel off the skin. Place the flesh in a strainer and let it drain for 30 minutes to remove excess liquid.
- Blend the Eggplant
- Transfer the drained eggplant to a blender or food processor. Add sesame oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Roast the Vegetables
- In a skillet, lightly sauté the cherry tomato halves and bell pepper slices until caramelized and tender.
- Assemble the Salad
- Spread the creamy eggplant mixture onto a serving plate.
- Garnish with the roasted cherry tomatoes and bell peppers.
- Serve
- Serve immediately with fresh bread or as a side dish.
- Eggplants counted rather than weighed: four medium eggplants for four people Two medium eggplants weigh about 600 g, not the '9 oz or 250 g' the original gives.
- Oven roasting at 200°C (400°F) for 20–25 minutes replaced with charring under the oven grill (broiler) or over a gas flame In 20–25 minutes at 200°C (400°F) a whole eggplant is rarely soft in the middle, and an oven doesn't give the smoky taste the chef describes; direct heat blackens the skin and smokes the flesh.
- Eggplants pricked with a fork before cooking It lets steam escape so they don't burst.
- Light (untoasted) sesame oil The dark toasted sesame oil most supermarkets sell is very strong at this amount; light sesame oil, or olive oil with a little toasted sesame oil, keeps the eggplant in front.
- Cherry tomatoes raised from 1 to 250 g One cherry tomato for two plates looks like a typo; the topping should cover the cream.
- Olive oil for the tomatoes and pepper added to the list The method sautés them, but the list has no oil for it.
The dish in the photograph was cooked by the restaurant for this story. Photo: Oleksandr Slyadnyev.