Grilled Eggplant – Rosa Bianca Eggplant Heirloom Variety
This grilled rosa bianca eggplant post was one of our first recipe posts back in 2008. The Rosa Bianca is one of our favorite varieties of eggplant and to cook them up on the grill is a joy of summer. It’s fun to see how our photography and garden has changed over the years! It’s an oldie but goodie.
Easy Grilled Eggplant Recipe
Our eggplants are showing signs of surrendering to Fall’s arrival. They’re becoming yellow, tougher and seedy. The season is telling us that it’s time to cook what eggplants are still tender and to collect the seeds from the tougher ones. Our Bianca Rosa variety of eggplants are one of our favorites to grow because they are sweet, fleshy and less bitter than most other varieties. The minimal amount of seeds make the Bianca Rosa variety perfect for grilling, baking and for just about anything that requires eggplant.
Amazing Smoky Flavor
One of our favorite ways to prepare eggplant is to grill it. The smokey flavor from the grill makes the slightly crisp outer surface encasing the creamy white interior flesh absolutely delectable. Often times our easy grilled eggplant recipe has been intended as a component of another dish, but it somehow never makes it there. We keep snacking on the slices even while they are still almost too hot to hold.
Can you use other eggplants?
Yes, you can! You can easily adapt this recipe with other types of eggplants. Black beauty, Asian eggplant and Japanese eggplants are fantastic grilled. You’ll still get the fantastic smoky flavor. If you do decide to use black beauty, people have said that you have to salt them first to remove the astringency. We usually don’t salt them and the results are still delicious.
Rosa Bianca eggplant from the garden
Cut, drizzle with oil and grill
How do you prepare your eggplant? Please share and link away so we can all learn! Here’s more of our vegetable recipes and more we found on the internet.
Grilled Eggplant Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound Eggplant
- Sea Salt or Kosher Salt , as needed
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil , as needed
- Fresh Cracked Black Pepper , to taste
Instructions
How to grill eggplant:
- Cut the eggplant either into lengthwise halves, or into 1/3-1/2" slices, depending on what you intend to use the eggplant for.
- (Next two steps are unnecessary if using more less bitter varieties of eggplant, such as Bianca Rosa, Japanese Eggplant, or Chinese Eggplant).If you are using an Italian Eggplant or similar variety, sprinkle the slices with salt, and all to sit for 45 min - 1 hr.
- Rinse off eggplant, and pat dry.
Light grill and set up for direct heat cooking, about medium heat.
- Lightly coat both sides of the eggplant with olive oil. Season with a touch of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.
- (For Halves) - Place on grill, cut side down. Cook until the body of the eggplant gives easily when gently pressed.
- (For Slices) - Place on grill and cook until it is slightly charred. Flip and repeat. The interior texture should be soft and fairly translucent with a slightly charred outside. Tasty.
I love these eggplants, and even have a painting of one in my kitchen. They’re quite uncommon at farmers’ markets around here.
Oh my GAAAAD, I’ve missed reading about the two of you soooo much!!!! This just made my day. One of my favourite veggies being cooked by two of my fav bloggers… =D
My mommy fries eggplant with sambal and terasi (chili and fermented prawn paste). It burns so good…
Wish I had a garden full of eggplant. I like them roasted whole dipped in a soy-dashi sauce.
Those look great. We love eggplant here. I like them grilled and in a parmasan. But my absolute favorite is panko crusted then deep fried and topped with parmesan cheese!
Mmmm, eggplant! I’d be hard pressed to eat those beauts though, they are so gorgeous. I still take little mental vacays to your backyard, ya know ๐ I typically cook eggplant one of two ways. I either grill thin slices and chuck them onto a sandwich with pesto, provolone, tomatoes, etc. or I do them Chinese style: http://jenyu.net/blog/2008/05/22/seasonal-transitions/
so envious of your beautiful eggplants … wish we have this variety here! Lovely photos!
So far, I have tried either 1) dipping the sliced eggplants in egg and pan-frying the slices or 2) parboiling them and then stir frying like this
Lisa – That sandwich sounds tasty! We’re pretty jealous of your fall color, so it looks like we are even ๐
MyKitchenInHalfCups – “regular” eggplant still = tasty!
Andrea – Yeah, we’re pretty lucky with our long growing season. But we miss out on some of the “real fall feel.” Location trade offs.
Manggy – We LOVE eggplant and balsamic together. The asian varieties are tops on our list as well.
Maybelles Mom – Thanks. We were lucky to have good models. They weren’t divas at all ๐
Helene – Thank you.
Julie – Simplicity is often the best way to eat things. Eggplant with lemon is mighty tasty.
Chez Us = Table top grill = year round grilling! Yay!
Christie @ fig&cherry – Thanks for the reminder on ratatouille. It’s been on our list of things we like but haven’t made ourselves yet.
Tartelette – We always philosophize over food. Aren’t the best conversations had at the dinner table? To eat, or not to eat… That merely begins the question.
Kitt – Our condolences on your allergies. Eggplant fries… salivating.
Spruce Moose – Thanks. We were fortunate to have good lighting there.
entangled – Sorry about your garden. We’re lucky our pests (dogs included) didn’t attack our yet.
RecipeGirl – Time for a cold shower! Ha ha ha ha. Naughty little food porn!
Dee – Cumin & chile… We’re going to have to try that. Sounds yummy!
Mike – Somehow eggplant is easy to overlook. We find that we go through phases of using it and forgetting about it. It is so tasty when we remember, though.
nikkipolani – Now they’ll know. They’re eggplant are just too old for cooking. Time to save the seeds for next season.
Rita – You’re on the money with that one. Tomaters & eggplant grilled. Nummy.
missginsu – There are other varieties that are almost exactly like an egg. The Vietnamese will frequently pickle them. It’s one of our favorite pickled treats.
Fran Magbual – Both of those dishes sound fantastic. More stuff to add to our eggplant repetiore. Thanks.
matt wright – We’ve got so much growing, it’s easy to miss one or two things. Actually, for the Japanese or Chinese eggplant, you don’t need to salt them. They don’t have much bitterness at all if they are fairly fresh.
Linda – That sound very similar to the eggplant caviar recipe we use. Tasty. For things people don’t like, we like to say they just haven’t had it in a way they like yet.
alexandra’s kitchen – We didn’t either. We are trying to make up for it now. 6 or 7 times a summer just is too little for something so good.
Big Boys Oven – Taste lovely too.
Lori Lynn – It’s fun to experience fruits and veggies beyond what we are able to get in the stores. So many great foods out there.
I am a huge fan of grilled eggplant and now I am so excited to try heirloom eggplant varieties. So pretty!
Love them as they look so lovely!
This post is making me so hungry for eggplant. I didn’t cook it enough this summer!
Those eggplants looks soo fresh and delicious. My mum usuallly grills the eggplants, them removes the skin. She then mashes the flesh with some finely chopped garlic, flavoured with a little salt, pepper and olive oil. She finally garnishes it with chopped spring onions. I don’t really eat eggplants, but I love this dish.
I love eggplant, and didn’t even know you guys grew it (I am sure you showed us, but my memory ain’t up to much these days). I know this doesn’t make for a great tale, but I prepare mine exactly the same way you do. I didn’t know however that salting is required with Japanese Eggplant – that is good to know!
One of our favorite ways to eat eggplant is to char them on the grill, peel, chop up and mix with onion, tomato and patis (or other fish sauce) to taste. Simple, tasty and great side for grilled or baked meats. Another variation is to “dress” the eggplant after charring and peeling with lemon or vinegar, hot peppers (thai bird chilis work great) and coconut milk (canned is fine). A rich and satisfying side dish.
Seeing them white really makes it more clear why they were called “eggplants” in the first place.
Your photos make them seem much more egg-like than the grocery-standard purple ones or those long, skinny Italian varieties.
I agree, those are my favourites too. I like to have them grilled with some heirloom tomatoes…huummm
You know, just your mention of “yellow” and “eggplant” together in one post is going to garner you a lot of visitors ๐ Lots of people wanting to know why their eggplant turns yellow (and seedy and astoundingly bitter). Your Biancas look lovely and tempting, though!