The No-Salting No-Frying Eggplant Hack

You don’t need to salt, rinse, dry, and fry to get great eggplant. All you need to do is learn how to bake your eggplant slices properly.

Remember the days when preparing any recipe that involves an eggplant meant salting the slices first, and then waiting, and then rinsing? 

Well, those days are over. We have discovered that if done correctly, these steps are not necessary. 

Also, you don’t need to fry the eggplants to achieve that texture. Baking works too. 

Here is how. 

Cut the eggplant into ¾ inch thick slices. 

You want slices that are not too thin but also not too thick. See image for reference. 

In a large mixing bowl, place the water, oil and salt. Place all the eggplant slices into the bowl and toss. Let it sit like that, and toss every now and then, for an hour to two. The eggplant will release the bitter juices and soften. 

Preheat oven to 400⁰F. Remove water from the bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle generously with oil. 

Place all the eggplant slices in one layer. 

Drizzle with some more oil. 

Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until golden, then turn over each piece and return to oven for another 20 minutes or so. 

This method works well when wanting to serve eggplant as a side or when preparing Chaya’s Chatzilim.

Print Recipe

“Fried” Eggplant hack

Ingredients

• 1 or 2 eggplants
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

• Cut the eggplant into ¾ inch thick slices. You want slices that are not too thin but also not too thick. See image for reference.
• In a large mixing bowl, place the water, oil and salt. Place all the eggplant slices into the bowl and toss. Let it sit like that, and toss every now and then, for an hour to two. The eggplant will release the bitter juices and soften.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove water from the bowl. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drizzle generously with oil. Place all the eggplant slices in one layer. Drizzle with some more oil.
• Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until golden, then turn over each piece and return to oven for another 20 minutes or so.