ROASTED EGGPLANT DIP – A GREEK CLASSIC
Jump to RecipeMelitzanosalata is one of those dishes that shows up all over Greece, especially once eggplant is in season. It’s simple, but when it’s done right, it’s hard to stop eating.
The whole thing starts with eggplant. Once it’s roasted, it softens and takes on that slightly smoky flavor that makes this dish what it is. Traditionally, this is done over a flame or gas burner. I threw mine in the oven wrapped in parchment and foil. Still comes out pretty roasty.
From there, it’s just garlic, lemon, and olive oil bringing everything together.
There are a lot of variations depending on where you are. This version has a bit of finely diced red onion, a few chipped kalamatas. To add to the smoky flavor, I roasted a head of garlic with the eggplants, added some roasted red pepper as well a pinch of cumin.
Some people blend it in a food processor. I keep it rustic and mix it by hand so you get some texture in there.
Here’s the recipe:
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Wrap eggplants in moistened parchment paper and then aluminum foil for a full seal. Cut top of head of garlic, drizzle some olive oil on it, and them wrap that in parchemnt as foil, just like the eggplants.2 eggplants, 1 head garlic
- Roast eggplants and garlic at 400 degrees for about an hour. It should be extremely soft. Once roasted, let fully cool.
- Cut eggplants in half and then use a spoon to scrape the soft flesh off the skin into a bowl. Also squeeze roasted garlic in bowl
- Add oil, parsley, cumin, onion, parsley, lemon zest and juice, vinegar, olive oil, olives, and roasted red peppers. Adjust as needed. Cool in refrigerator.1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 red onion, 1/2 cup parsley, 1 lemon zested, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp red wine vinegar, 1/3 cup roasted red peppers, 5 kalamata olives, 1/2 tsp cumin, salt and pepper to taste
It doesn’t look like much, but the flavor is big. It’s got a little bite from the roasted garlic and lemon, but it all comes together really well.
Like a lot of Greek dishes, olive oil does a lot of the work here. It’s not just added at the end – it’s what gives the dip its body & smoothness and brings everything together.
This is one of those things you put on the table with some bread, pita chips, or crunchy raw vegetables like cucumbers and peppers. It also works well alongside other dishes like these lamb chops, chicken skewers, or even grilled fish.
Simple, but it always slaps.
OPA!!!