In A Pickle
How to Make Pickled Eggplants
Pickled eggplants are the best eggplants, truly
--
Obsessed with pickles? So are we. In a regular feature, I’m exploring different ways of making this delicious fridge staple so you can enjoy seasonal produce all year round.
Please don’t think it mere hyperbole when I tell you that for the rest of my life the only way I want to eat eggplants is pickled — really, it’s a calm and measured response to how good they taste. The preservation involved here is threefold: First, the eggplant slices are salted, to draw out moisture. Then, they’re cooked briefly in a vinegar bath. Finally, they’re submerged in a small quantity of olive olive oil, which renders the eggplant as satiny-rich as if you’d spent the whole time deep-frying them. After a few days in the fridge they’re ready to eat — tangy, herbed, and incredibly delicious.
Together the salt, vinegar and oil saturate the the eggplant in flavor, without overpowering it. Tumble the eggplant slices over pasta for an instant sauce, tuck them into sandwiches, or serve as part of an antipasto platter. One bite, and you’ll want to eat it forever too.
Pickled Eggplant
Makes one 14-ounce jar, depending on the size of your eggplants.
- Two large, firm eggplants
- Kosher salt
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
- Olive oil
- Cut the eggplants into slices of roughly ¼-inch thickness, then cut each of these down the middle into semicircles.
- Place a layer of eggplant slices into a colander or sieve sat over a bowl, and sprinkle liberally with the salt. Repeat, layering and…
