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Summer Eggplant Salad

Jul 2, 2018 · 21 Comments

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Dress up your outdoor tablescape this season with this layered Summer Eggplant Salad!

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received regarding putting together a meal or entertaining in general, was that it’s like “Piecing together a puzzle,” and that “Each piece, taken individually, need not be hard.”

I wrote recently about how the summer season conjures images of relaxation, backyard parties, or sunset dinner gatherings on the porch. While these ideas are lovely, to truly make them memorable you might want to do something unexpected, or serve something ‘outside the box,’ or just ‘glam it up’ a bit, but of course that raises the question of where to start.

Back to the metaphor of the puzzle, what is among the first things you serve at a warm summer party, whether for dinner on the porch or outside in the sun – the salad. That’s the first piece of any such get together, and is often times the first things your guests will taste alongside your starters.

Now, while giant fruit bowls or grilled fruit serve excellently, and can certainly glammed up on their own, I’m thinking of taking things in a slightly different direction to enhance both the ‘summery’ flavors and textures – while keeping all of the ease and yet enhancing the elegance several fold.

That, of course, brings us to today’s recipe – Mediterranean Style Eggplant Salad.

This is a dish that my first generation Sicilian mother used to make all the time during the warmer weather, and in several distinct variations. The variation today is a sort of combination of everything that I can remember from what my mother made, a sort of combination of all the best parts – though I’ll provide some variation tips below.

First and foremost, from the fresh tomato and basil drenched in olive oil, to the combination of capers and red onion, this dish simply screams “Warm weather by the Sea,” since if you can combine this with salty sea air, there really are few things better for a warm weather dinner party or late afternoon gathering, trust me on that.

To start things, we begin by preparing the eggplant – which we peel as thoroughly as we can, but be careful not to damage the eggplant since we want the slices whole and sturdy. Once the eggplants are peeled, slice them to about a quarter of an inch in thickness. You can go slightly thicker, but I would not go thinner since that will result in them getting soggy once combined with the salad.

From there, dredge the slices first in flour, then in an egg wash, and then in seasoned bread crumbs as shown below. Then set them either on a set of nonstick baking sheets or with a drizzle of olive oil over the top of each prepared eggplant slice, and bake for about fifteen to twenty minutes until they are nice and golden, turning them once during the process. Then let them cool while we prep the salad portion of the recipe.

On a side note, if you prefer your eggplant slices grilled as opposed to breaded, that would serve excellently as well. Simply oil up a griddle with olive oil, and grill them until they have beautiful char lines, and then, similarly, set them aside to cool as we prep the salad. This variation would probably serve better alongside barbecued food as it would both provide a lighter contrast to your grilled meat while keeping the grilling theme consistent.

As to the salad portion, we begin by drizzling the bottom of a bowl with olive oil and set down a layer of the prepped eggplant slices, and then top that with sliced tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, sliced onion, dried oregano, a generous dash of red pepper flakes, a few dashes of freshly ground black pepper, capers and capers juice, and a generous dusting of grated cheese, your choice of Romano, Asiago, or Parmesan.

For a hardier variation, you can also substitute or simply add mozzarella slices, and stack those slices over the tomatoes with a dusting of fresh Italian parsley followed by the rest of the ingredients mentioned above. Use your imagination and your won taste as you would with a ‘regular’ salad, this is an eminently versatile recipe.

Repeat that layering process until you have filled the bowl, and then refrigerate until you’re ready to serve it. Keep in mind, that you can make this salad well ahead, since it marinates as it sits, meaning over the course of a day or two in the fridge this salad will only get better.

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Summer Eggplant Salad

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5 from 1 reviews

  • Author: Living the Gourmet
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the Eggplant:

  • 2 eggplants – peeled and sliced to 1/4 inch thickness
  • 1 1/2 cups flour – seasoned with salt and black pepper
  • 2 cups bread crumbs – Italian style or plain simply seasoned with salt and pepper
  • 3 eggs beaten with a splash of water
  • Olive oil

For the Salad:

  • 4 – 5 cloves of garlic – chopped fine
  • Fresh basil leaves – chopped
  • Capers plus caper juice
  • Red onion – sliced thin and chopped
  • 4 – 5 vine ripe tomatoes – chopped
  • Black pepper
  • Dried oregano
  • Red pepper flakes
  • Fresh Romano cheese or Parmesan- grated
  • Olive oil

Instructions

For the Eggplant:

  1. Preheat Oven 350 degrees F.
  2. Set up three shallow bowls; one with the flour, one with the egg wash and one with the bread crumbs.
  3. Dredge the eggplant slices first in the flour, then in the egg wash and finally in the bread crumbs.
  4. Place on a non-stick baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil.
  5. Place in the oven and bake for 15 – 18 minutes, or until they turn a nice golden, turning once.
  6. Remove from the oven and let cool.

For the Salad:

  1. Drizzle the bottom of a bowl with olive oil and place a layer of eggplant slices over the oil.
  2. Top that with tomato slices, fresh basil leave, sliced onion, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, fresh ground black pepper, capers and a drizzle of caper juice and grated cheese
  3. Repeat this process until the eggplant is used.
  4. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with a delicious crusty bread to dip in the oil of this salad.

Notes

This dish gets better the longer it sits in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 4-6

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Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

And just like that, you’ve put together the first piece of your Summer Dinner Party Menu.

Over the next week or two, we’ll putting together the other pieces for you as well. Stay tuned for our Ultimate Charcuterie Board with Individual Pizzas for an awesome pairing.

Enjoy with Love!

1

Salads eggplant, italian, salad, seasonal, summer

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. [email protected]'s Recipes says

    03/07/2018 at 4:26 am

    So summery and delicious!

    Reply
  2. Marie dodd says

    03/07/2018 at 11:45 pm

    Wow, that looks gooooood!!!! When’s dinner?

    Reply
  3. Kim says

    30/07/2018 at 12:52 pm

    I just plucked a pair of eggplant from my garden last night and was hoping to find some new way to serve them. Well, I just think that I found it. Thank you so much!

    Reply
  4. Valerie says

    30/07/2018 at 7:54 pm

    I have a friend that loves eggplant. That looks like a dish she would enjoy, it sounds rather hearty.

    Reply
  5. Denay DeGuzman says

    30/07/2018 at 8:58 pm

    This beautiful summer eggplant salad looks so scrumptious and inviting! And I love the presentation. Mmmm…

    Reply
  6. Claudia says

    30/07/2018 at 9:31 pm

    I just love a good eggplant recipe and this looks fabulous, I have never had luck making eggplant but I love this recipe and may just have to give it another go trying this salad

    Reply
  7. Joanna @ Everyday Made Fresh says

    31/07/2018 at 12:37 am

    Ok, that’s a fantastic way to eat eggplant. I love egg plant, but don’t make it that often because I usually only do eggplant parm. My family will love this!

    Reply
  8. Adriana Lopez Martin says

    31/07/2018 at 3:05 am

    Eggplants are so fabulous really like them a lot! Nice that we have them available during summertime. Super tasty recipe that you are suggesting, yummy!

    Reply
  9. Veena Azmanov says

    31/07/2018 at 12:02 pm

    I love breaded eggplant slices and often use them in my sandwiches and salads. This salad sound very much like one I would enjoy! Perfect for this summer weather. Yum.

    Reply
  10. Jyothi (Jo) says

    31/07/2018 at 12:59 pm

    I can’t believe that egg plant is baked, looks amazing. Just love fried ones. And this is the kind of salad I would love to eat

    Reply
  11. Marisa Franca says

    31/07/2018 at 3:23 pm

    I no sooner so your title and the photo I immediately pinned it to make later. The salad is a precursor of what is to come — so make it fantastic!! I’ve never made an eggplant salad but I can guarantee I will in the near future.

    Reply
  12. Heather says

    31/07/2018 at 11:30 pm

    Love this!! Such a beautiful salad and the perfect flavor combinations .. love that you added eggplant .. I haven’t seen a salad with it before and adding it to yours is genius!!!

    Reply
  13. Alexis says

    01/08/2018 at 12:50 am

    Oh goodness, I love eggplant parm or just breaded and pan fried. I’m excited to try a new recipe so I can enjoy one of my favorite veggies.

    Reply
  14. Nicolas Hortense says

    01/08/2018 at 5:44 am

    Piecing together a puzzle. Love that, and I love how you breaded the eggplant, never thought of that before. Most salads need to be dressed and served straight away. So I really like how you made a salad that marinated and only gets better over time!

    Reply
  15. Tatiana says

    01/08/2018 at 6:47 am

    Outstanding combination of flavors ! I love the whole idea of eating eggplants on salads , delicious!

    Reply
  16. Mirlene says

    01/08/2018 at 12:58 pm

    I don’t believe i have ever tried eggplant salad, but very interested in trying it. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    Reply
  17. joanne budah says

    18/09/2021 at 2:00 pm

    This is the most delicious eggplant salad I have ever made! Now, whenever I am invited to a get-together I have to bring this dish!! Thank you for all your wonderful recipes.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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