Grilled eggplant is a really easy and tasty side dish! To assist get a tasty bite with crispy exterior and tender interior, we use salt in this recipe to help draw out some of the water and moisture from the eggplant slices. Savour the eggplant raw, garnished with a few fresh herbs, or dress it up with Primal Kitchen Italian Dressing, Balsamic Vinaigrette, tahini sauce, or vinegar.

For this recipe, we like to use Italian, Graffiti, Chinese, or Japanese eggplant. They are robust, meaty, and grill-worthy. You are welcome to modify the cooking time based on your particular grill and any hotter areas. The finished product should have a crispy outside and a soft, delicious, and non-chewy interior. Reduce the heat on your grill and cook the eggplant for longer if the flesh turns out to be chewy but the outside is already overly browned. Chewy eggplant is typically an indication that it is undercooked.

How to Grill a Eggplant

Cut off each eggplant’s stem and end first. Next, cut the eggplants into rings that are about ½ inch thick. If you’d like, you can also slice them into thick strips or at an angle. Add a hefty sprinkle of salt to a large bowl with the sliced eggplant. Toss the eggplant around to coat it with salt. Arrange the sliced eggplant on top of a big sheet pan that has been covered with a large cloth or towel. Give the eggplant around thirty minutes to rest. To press down on the eggplant and force out additional water, you may also place a towel on top of it and then another sheet pan on top of that.

Aubergine slices, raw, on a baking sheet

To get rid of extra moisture, blot or wipe the eggplant slices with a cloth. After that, salt them and put them in a basin. Add the olive oil to a different bowl and toss until the oil covers and begins to absorb into the slices.

Aubergine slices, raw, in a silver bowl

After thoroughly cleaning the grates, preheat your grill to medium-high heat. When the grill is hot, add the eggplant slices and cook for about 2 minutes. Then, using tongs, turn the slices 90 degrees and continue to grill for an additional minute or two to get excellent grill marks on one side. Continue cooking the eggplant on the other side until the outside is crispy and the inside is tender. Depending on whatever area of your grill is the hottest, adjust the cooking time as necessary to ensure the eggplant is cooked through without burning. Proceed with the leftover eggplant.

Serve your eggplant with your favourite Primal Kitchen dressing, such Italian or Balsamic Vinaigrette, or with a sprinkling of fresh herbs, tahini, or balsamic vinegar!