The Best Ever Marinated Eggplant

I have been experimenting with marinating, preserving and fermenting vegetables a lot over the past few years — they are such a handy thing to have on hand in the fridge to add to a throw-together healthy low-carb meal.

I always keep some kind of greens in the fridge and eggs, so at times when that’s literally all the fresh ingredients I have in the fridge, I’ll grab a jar of whatever bottled veggies I have and add a spoonful on top — it’s a great way to add flavour and texture and make any keto meal a lot more interesting.

These eggplants aka aubergines take on the flavour of their marinade beautifully. You can adjust the chillies to your liking — the amount below with add a slight heat but it won't be overbearing. Asides from adding to your favorite dish, these are also a great addition to a healthy low-carb antipasto platter.

A note on salting — I’m sure you’ve seen plenty of recipes calling for eggplant to be salted before it’s cooked. I personally find that if you are grilling and then marinating your eggplant, you don’t need to salt it, especially if you are using fresh eggplants (look for ones in the markets that are hard, and cook with them straight away).

Step-by-step

1. Slice the eggplant lengthways into ¹/₂ cm (¹/₄ inch) strips (each of the eggplants should yield about 12 slices). Preheat a barbecue or griddle pan to medium-high. Use the 2 tablespoons of olive oil to brush the eggplant on both sides.

   

2. Cook on both sides until browned, about 1-2 minutes per side.

   

3. Add the salt, vinegar and olive oil to a small jug and mix well until the salt is dissolved.

4. Arrange the eggplants, dried chillies and herbs in a jar, and pour over the vinegar mixture.

   

5. Allow to marinate in the fridge at least one day before eating.

6. Lasts up to two weeks in a sealed jar in the fridge. Note that the olive oil may harden in the fridge — bring to room temperature before consuming.

   

Recipe

The Best Ever Marinated Eggplant

★★★★☆4.4 (105 ratings)

Making Mediterranean marinated eggplant at home is so easy! A healthy low-carb appetizer infused with Italian ...

Hands on

20m

Overall

1d

Servings

8

2.4 g

Net carbs

0.8 g

Protein

10.4 g

Fat

112

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings16 servings24 servings32 servings

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Ingredients makes 8 servings, about 24 slices

• 2 small eggplants (about 600 g/ 1.3 lb)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (30 ml)
• 2 tsp dried Italian herbs such as oregano, thyme and basil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 3-4 small dried chillis or 1-2 tsp chilli flakes, to taste
• ¹/₂ cup extra virgin olive oil (120 ml/ 4 fl oz)
• ¹/₃ cup white wine vinegar or apple cider (80 ml/ 2.7 fl oz)
• Nutrition facts are estimated as most of the marinating ingredients (olive oil and vinegar) won't be consumed.

Instructions

1. Slice the eggplant lengthways into ¹/₂ cm (¹/₄ inch) strips (each of the eggplants should yield about 12 slices). Preheat a barbecue or griddle pan to medium-high. Use the 2 tablespoons of olive oil to brush the eggplant on both sides.

2. Cook on both sides until browned, about 1-2 minutes per side.

3. Add the salt, vinegar and olive oil to a small jug and mix well until the salt is dissolved.

4. Arrange the eggplants, dried chillies and herbs in a jar, and pour over the vinegar mixture.

5. Allow to marinate in the fridge at least one day before eating.

6. Lasts up to two weeks in a sealed jar in the fridge. Note that the olive oil may harden in the fridge — bring to room temperature before consuming.

Nutrition per serving, 3 slices

Carbs 9%Protein 3%Fat 88% of calories

Net carbs

2.4 g

Total carbs

5 g

Fiber

2.5 g

Sugars

2.7 g

Protein

0.8 g

Fat

10.4 g

Saturated fat

1.4 g

Calories

112 kcal

Sodium

293 mg · 12.7% RDA

Magnesium

11 mg · 2.85% RDA

Potassium

177 mg · 8.86% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per 3 slices	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Eggplant (aubergine), fresh	2.2 g	0.7 g	0.1 g	19
Olive oil, extra virgin	0 g	0 g	3.4 g	30
Italian seasoning (mixed herbs)	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	1
Salt, sea salt	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Peppers, chile (chili), flaked and dried, spices	0.2 g	0.1 g	0.1 g	2
Olive oil, extra virgin	0 g	0 g	6.8 g	60
Wine vinegar	0 g	0 g	0 g	1
Total	2.4 g	0.8 g	10.4 g	112

Serving size 3 slices

• Gluten free
• Dairy free
• Egg free
• Nut free
• Pork free
• Avocado free
• Coconut free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free
• Pescatarian
• Vegetarian
• Vegan