Smoky Eggplant Croquettes Recipe (2024)

If you do not have a gas stove, I recommend placing the eggplant in a broiler or oven on high (like 500ºf) until the skin is charred. You can place the eggplant directly on the rack, or a baking sheet but remember to turn as the top blackens. It is also easier to remove the skin if you place the broiled eggplant into a sealed paper bag for about 5-10 min before attempting to peel, as the steam will do the work of separating the charred outside from the inside of the eggplant.

I have a glass cooktop—so would I do this on the grill????

Substitute parchment (readily available even in Safeway or Albertsons) for the Silpat. I always cook them 3 at a time (uses the same amount of gas as just one) on my gas barbecue with all burners on maximum and the lid closed. I don’t rotate them I wait for them to collapse, about 45 minutes.Makes the best baba ganoush. A word of warning with this technique: always pierce the top of the eggplant deeply by 3 or more inches in a couple places in order to prevent steam from exploding the eggplants.

Always best to roast these on the open flame of an outdoor BBQ if you can. (Really sit them right in the flame if possible). They are delicious - but really stink the house out if roasting inside.

I really wish there was a video for this recipe. Because every time I char an eggplant it turns into a gloppy mess that is difficult to process.

Having prepared eggplant in the past just like this I have some advice. It is messy, be prepared. To protect your gas stove top cover parts of it with aluminum foil AND use of those disposable burner liners, they catch any mess that may happen. Your stove will clean up more easily. Afterwards take the burner trivet and just soak it in some water to soften the burnt on eggplant and it will wash off really easily. If it is really burned on, use some oven cleaner on the trivet.

Joe, here's a video of the same method for cooking the eggplant for another recipe: https://www.pbs.org/video/mind-chef-season-4-episode-1-prune/ It starts at the 5:18 mark.

I have been roasting eggplant in a hot oven in a pie pan for over 40 years. First I stab it a few times with the cooking fork, then after it is roasted and charred, I make a few slits in the skin and allow it to cool and drain in the colander. Separating the skin from the pulp is a breeze. I use the pulp to make eggplant souffle (recipe in The Vegetarian Epicure) or babaganoug.

As a variation on a theme -- I usually mix equal parts of the eggplant and ground beef, skip the freezing process and simply form into meatballs and/or put the mixture in a savory pie shell and bake. It is then a known middle eastern dish known as Pastel. It is one of our family's favorite with the wonderful smoky flavor of the eggplant.

I love Gabrielle’s recipes & cooking philosophy, but I’m surprised she doesn’t mention that this method of preparing aubergines is a basic of Turkish & middle eastern cooking. If you don’t want the faff and the calories of frying croquettes, make babaganoush. And don’t forget your BBQ. Those glowing coals at the end of grilling are just the job for charring the aubergines.

Cook eggplant directly on the stove top? My wife would kill me. This is a job for the grill!

Be sure to put something under the eggplant if you oven roast. They will leak that very wonderful liquid Gabrielle mentioned in her article.I'm lucky enough to have a garden that is overproducing Asian eggplants and I'm just about Sichuan eggplanted out! With minor changes this recipe gives me an outstanding way to not only use, but to freeze and save my abundance. Plus, I just made a lifetime supply of caponata and I'm pretty sure that it will pair with these into double eggplant heaven!

If you pierce them with a fork or skewer a few times, they won't explode.

This is a cooking PROJECT. You gotta lean in. It’s not hard, but know going in that you’re going to learn some techniques. I’m sitting here enjoying setting stuff on fire. My son thinks I’m getting high smelling some unusual burning smells. Just have fun with it. The mess is totally manageable. But maybe not for TypeA cooks or spouses. To the person who can’t use things in the garlic/onion family - “warm” spice like Chinese 5 spice Mix is fab with eggplant. So is Zaatar! I might add it myself

You absolutely can, and is often done that way, using a grill.In fact the stove top grating or electric coils themselves act as a grill, in this case.For those without a grill, a regular oven, or small (toaster) oven should do the job, set to broiling.It's very simple, straightforward, and foolproof -- all you really need from it, is literally to see the skin scorched completely everywhere, all around, and the flesh inside to collapse, become extremely soft and mushy, that's all.

determined to try this - just picked a bunch more today. looks divine.

Fried in 1/4” olive oil, which was more than sufficient. Had a surplus of eggplant, so grilled them all at one time. Made Greek melitzanosalata with half and this with the rest. Shaped into quenelles instead of freezing in slab and would do that again. Held in freezer for quick weeknight meal. When frying, turn with fork, not tongs, to keep their shape. Cooked up very crispy and were perfect served with a mint-flavored fresh tomato sauce. Greek feta cheese was lovely accompaniment.

These were delicious, but after having made them once as written I made changes. The second time through rather than frying, I just dunked them in some olive oil and baked instead. Still delicious but less oil and hassle. I also found cleaning the charred eggplants tedious, so next time I’ll smoke them as per the optional method shown in this recipe (https://www.spicewallabrand.com/blogs/recipes/chai-time-baingan-bharta-smoked-eggplant-hash?_pos=1&_sid=479214ac7&_ss=r) , just as smoky

If you're going for a smoky taste, there is no substitute for cooking the eggplants over a wood fire.

These taste like fried Baba Ghanoush. Which is not a bad thing.

This recipe is very good, well written and descriptive. I think blackening these on the grille and really doing them well done gets the smokiest flavor. Final results? Delicious.

Made as directed. Quite delicious, but a little heavy on the garlic. I would use half the amount of garlic next time.

This came out tasting good and had a pleasing crackle to the crust. As noted by others, it did literally raise a stink and dirtied every cooking vessel and surface of my kitchen. I had to strip the walls down to the studs. It was a total loss. Okay, I exaggerate, but deep frying it was more work than it was worth.

I wanted to like this. The croquettes were a lot of work for a "meh" end result. (To be clear the flesh of the charred eggplant, with any of the mix ins that Gabrielle Hamilton mentions, is delicious). When I made it, after lots of work and several days, my son greeted this with, "so...fried baby food". He was not incorrect. Leftovers were improved by making this into eggplant parm sandwiches, but still not as good as regular planks or rounds of eggplant.In short, don't bother

What side do you eat with this? I figured a salad. What about a carb? Has anyone made a dip?

added some adobo seasoning, smoke paprika, a touch of cayenne pepper, and some onion powder to up the flavorscame out delicious.

I thought this was a whole lot of work for not a very good reward. I would not make it again.

I loved making this recipe! Cooked the eggplant on my outside grill till they were completely charred. Followed every step as written and produced extremely tasty morsels to serve my dinner guests. I did find it very hard to control the heat of the oil on the top of my stove. Sometimes the croquettes were a little cold in the middle but beautiful brown on the outside.

Not as good as I hoped. Salty, and didn't hold their shape. I'm sure it was me!

Let me highly recommend piercing the eggplant a few times if you’re using the broiler. They will explode and make a giant mess.