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Easy Italian marinated eggplant – grilled eggplant/aubergine marinated in garlic, oregano, chili and mint. Perfect as a side, with salad or as an antipasto with drinks.
The thing about this marinated eggplant is that it can be eaten straight away and it tastes fantastic or it can be left for 6 hours to overnight for the eggplant to absorb all the delicious flavours and become extra delicious.
I love that it can be eaten straight away and added to a salad with mozzarella, so perfect for a summer lunch or picnic. When it’s left a little longer, the eggplant becomes softer and packed full of flavour making it perfect for sandwiches or crostini.
How to make Italian marinated eggplant
This is such a simple recipe and it packs a punch of flavour. I used garlic, oregano, chili, and mint for the marinade. These are all simple flavours that you’re sure to get in any supermarket and they make this eggplant so so so delicious.
To start, cut two large eggplant (aubergine) into slices, sprinkle them with a little salt and set them aside for 30 minutes. Rinse the eggplant and pat them dry, brush them very lightly with oil then add to a griddle pan to grill on each side until soft. You can also do this with a normal frying pan if you prefer.
To make the marinade, finely chop the chili, garlic and mint and add to a bowl with olive oil. Add the oregano and 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar, stir and set aside until the eggplant has cooled slightly.
The assembly
Add a layer of eggplant slices on a serving plate then drizzle over around 1 tablespoon of the marinade. Continue for another few layers until the aubergine and marinade is used up. If there is extra marinade, pour it over the top of the final layer.
You can serve this straight away or leave for 6 hours to overnight in a cool place to soak up all the flavours. Serve with salad, grilled meats or as an antipasto.
One of my favourite ways to eat this is on top of crostini with provolone cheese, heat it under the grill for a couple second for it to warm up slightly and until the cheese has just started to melt….love!
If you’ve tried this Italian marinated eggplant or any other recipe on the blog please let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
For More Antipasto Ideas Try:
- Italian stuffed peppers with tomatoes and anchovies
- Fried zucchini pizza bites
- Whipped ricotta toast with balsamic cherries
- Rosemary focaccia with mozzarella
Step By Step Photos Above
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Italian Marinated Eggplant
Ingredients
- 2 large eggplant/aubergine
- 1/2 red chili
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 small bunch fresh mint
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 4.5 tbsp (80ml) olive oil plus extra for frying
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- salt
Instructions
- Slice the eggplant around 1/4 inch thickness, sprinkle with a little salt (only enough to season don't over do it) and set aside for 30 minutes until they have released some water. Rinse the eggplant slices and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Lightly brush the eggplant on each side with olive oil. Place on a hot griddle pan until soft ( you can do this using a normal frying pan too) set aside to cool slightly.
- To make the marinade, finely chop the garlic, mint and chili (seeds removed) add to 80ml of olive oil with the red wine vinegar and oregano, stir.
- When the eggplant has cooled add a layer of the eggplant slices on a serving plate or bowl. Drizzle over 1 tbsp of the marinade then continue until all the slice and marinade has been used up. If there is extra marinade left, pour it over the final layer.
- Eat straight away with salad, or as an antipasto. Alternativley leave to marinade for 6 hours to overnight for the eggplant to soak up the flavours even more.
Notes
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello there, Love your website and your knowledge of Italian culinary delights is super impressive….Brava!! I am making this recipe next week and wondering whether the salting of the aubergines and then rinsing them is necessary? Can I just oil, salt and griddle instead? Many thanks! ๐
Hi Jasmine, it helps draw out excess moisture but you can skip it if you like :-). Enjoy!
I made it with 1/2 eggplant and 1/2 daikon. Same prep as called for in the recipe for both vegetables. It was absolutely delicious after four days in the fridge and stupefyingly superb after two weeks in the fridge.
Thanks!
do you refrigerate overnite?
Hi Mary, yes refrigerate overnight (covered) then let it come to room temperature before serving. Thanks!
Love this marinated eggplant dish! Great video!
My mother use to make us marinated eggplant all the time. We would take eggplant sandwiches to school for lunch. She would grill the eggplant or just cut it in 1/4″ thick slices or cubed raw. You don’t have to grill the eggplant it will take on the flavor of whatever you put with it. She would add celery, garlic, peppers, & olives in the mix and make it like a salad. I’ve blended it into a pulp and spread it on bruschetta bread as hors’oeuvres. Very tasty!
Sounds wonderful!!
I love love Eggplants and aubergines , this dish right up to my street. So good.
I am not a huge fan of aubegine, but I think I would really enjoy this. Lovely flavours!