Culinary Explorer
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Melanzane Fritte
Created by Chef Graziella
Eggplant sliced, salted until it weeps, then fried in olive oil until the flesh surrenders completely. This is the building block of parmigiana and the test of your patience.
Frying eggplant properly requires discipline. The salting cannot be rushed. One hour is the minimum. Two is better. You will watch brown liquid pool beneath the slices and wonder if the eggplant will have any flavor left. It will have more flavor, not less. The salt draws out bitterness and excess moisture. What remains is the eggplant's true character, concentrated and ready to fry.
Americans skip the salting. They are in a hurry. Then they wonder why their eggplant is bitter and sodden with oil. The unsalted eggplant acts like a sponge, drinking oil until it becomes greasy and heavy. The salted eggplant, its cellular structure collapsed, absorbs less oil and fries to a proper golden exterior with a creamy interior.
This is contorno cooking at its simplest. No batter, no breadcrumbs, no complications. Just eggplant, salt, olive oil, and the understanding that what you leave out matters as much as what you put in.
Ingredients
globe eggplants
Quantity
2 medium (about 2 pounds total)
kosher salt
Quantity
for salting
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
about 2 cups
for frying
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| globe eggplants | 2 medium (about 2 pounds total) |
| kosher salt | for salting |
| extra virgin olive oilfor frying | about 2 cups |
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