Rarely will I exclaim joy over a meal that has no meat in it. Whether in the form of pork, beef, lamb, poultry or even seafood — I prefer most of my protein to come from meat. But purely vegetable dishes, I seldom find filling, appetizing nor satisfying. I will, however, take exception with eggplant caviar.
My lunch today was toasted country bread and eggplant caviar — no meat, no seafood — and I didn’t whine nor complain. In fact, I’m exclaiming with joy.
Despite its name, there are no fish eggs in eggplant caviar which is essentially a spread (although I like it as a dip too). Eggplant caviar is a paste, ultra smooth or chunky, depending on how you prefer it — smoky, slightly charred and sweet eggplants, mashed then mixed with spices, herbs, olive oil and lemon juice.
But why is it called eggplant caviar if there are no fish eggs in it? I really have no idea. If I have to guess, its because like real caviar, eggplant caviar is best enjoyed when spread on thin toasted bread. And because, like real caviar, eggplant caviar has such complex flavors and the combination is rather difficult to describe. In a nutshell though, it is simply delicious.
For best results, use purple Asian eggplants, the long ones rather than the rounder aubergine grown in Europe. Asian eggplants are sweeter and not bitter.
Ingredients
- 1/2 k. of grilled eggplants
- 4 to 6 tbsps. of extra virgin olive oil (herb-infused, if you like)
- 1/2 to 1 tsp. of grated garlic
- 1/4 c. of crisp fried onion slices, chopped
- 2 bird’s eye chilies or 1/2 tsp. of dried chili flakes, chopped
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- juice of 1/2 to 1 lemon, depending on your taste
- about 12 large basil leaves (I used three kinds — sweet, purple and holy basil)
Instructions
- Scrape off the flesh of the eggplants; discard the skins.
- Place the eggplant flesh in the blender or food processor.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Pulse or blitz a few times for a chunky eggplant caviar. Puree for a smooth eggplant caviar.
- Pour the eggplant caviar into a bowl. Adjust the seasonings, if necessary. Drizzle in more olive oil, if you like, and stir lightly.
- Serve with toasted bread.
Quick notes
Eggplant caviar goes very well with parmesan cheese. Try this.
Lightly toast some thinly sliced crusty country bread.
Spread some eggplant caviar on the toasts. Top with shaved parmesan cheese.
Pop into a very hot (about 425F) preheated oven for two to three minutes or until the cheese melts.
Drizzle with a little olive oil before serving.
Preparation time: 10 minute(s), excluding the grilling time for the eggplants
Number of servings (yield): about 1 and 1/2 cups
Hi Connie,
Could this be your localized version of the Middle Eastern Baba Ganouge?
Nevertheless, I love grilled eggplants the most.
They’re definitely similar to each other. Haven’t found any info as to the origin of the term “eggplant caviar” though — some claim it’s Russian; others say it’s Israeli.
Or is this taking the poqui-poqui to higher levels? If so, let’s call this the “glorified Connie-fied poqui-poqui…”
or am I being wicked again? hehehe
hahahahaha Oh, how I wish I could claim credit for inventing this!
They served a similar dip in Chateau 1771, altho theirs has very simple ingredients- eggplant, ginger and a bit of sugar. Taste great with melba toast.