Roasted eggplant and red pepper salad step-by-step recipe

Roasted eggplant and red pepper salad is a healthy and delicious appetizer, a variant of the preparation of which, perhaps, can be found in almost every cuisine in the world. Which means it has hundreds of variations, recipes, ingredients and unusual flavor combinations. Followers of my blog know that I adore and most often cook Ukrainian and oriental cuisine.

The recipe for baked eggplant and pepper salad that I’m sharing today is no exception. It is a delicious, easy to prepare and spicy appetizer with subtle oriental notes, the basis of which I borrowed from the Israelis. Although, you can also find it in the Transcarpathian cuisine. Anyway, firstly we need to bake eggplants and peppers.

As you have already realized, I am not claiming authenticity, but sharing with you my own recipe. I promise you one thing: the result will be delicious.

Ingredients for 3–4 servings:

1. 2 medium-sized eggplants
2. 2 large red sweet peppers
3. 1 small red onion, preferably sweet
4. 1 large or 2 medium-sized tomatoes
5. 1–2 cloves of garlic to your taste
6. A few sprigs of cilantro or parsley (also depend on your taste preference)
7. 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
8. Salt to taste
9. Juice of half a lemon (more or less to guide you during cooking)
10. Spicy smoked paprika to your taste

Roasted eggplant and red pepper salad step-by-step recipe

Ideally, the vegetables for this salad are better to roast on the grill or charcoal grill, so that they have a slight flavor of the fire. If that’s not possible, then substitute smoked paprika for the campfire. That’s actually how I do it.

Step 1: Poke the eggplants in several places with a fork. Cut the peppers into halves and remove the insides. Put them on a tray and send to the oven for 40–50 minutes at a temperature of 200–220 degrees.

Step 2: After baking, put the vegetables in a plastic bag and tie. In this way, when veggies cool down, they can be easily peeled off.

Step 3: Chop the baked peppers and eggplants properly with a knife. Place in a deep bowl.

Step 4. Chop the onion and herbs. Grate the garlic. Remove the wet inner part of the tomato and cut into small cubes. Also, you can dip tomatoes in boiling water and remove the skin.

Step 5. Mix all components of our salad of baked eggplants and peppers thoroughly.

Step 6. Season with salt, olive oil, smoked paprika and lemon juice. Then send it to the refrigerator for a few hours. This salad tastes perfectly chilled.

It is suitable as an addition or garnish to meat and fish dishes, will be an excellent base for bruschetta, and will simply take its place of honor among the various appetizers in your menu. Especially if you, like me, adore eggplant dishes.

A little tip: cilantro is a very specific herb that many people do not like or do not perceive at all. If the same story happens to you, just replace it with fresh chopped parsley. Bon appétit!