Beautifully soft and smoky marinated aubergines with the flavours of Italy, a perfect accompaniment to any anti-pasti platter.
Italian marinated aubergine is one of my favourite recipes on this blog and a simply delicious way to enjoy aubergine. This makes great use of any gluts of aubergine that anyone might have growing in their greenhouses over the Summer months. It’s quick to make and once done will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks, ready to add as a side dish, to salads or a sharing style platter.
This simple recipe for Italian marinated aubergine is not one I can take credit for. In fact, I tasted this delicious aubergine dish while on my family camping holiday to Cornwall in the summer.
A lovely woman called Ellie, a fellow foodie, had the pitch next to us. She made these for dinner one night and very kindly let me have a taste. I adore aubergine, Ellie herself isn’t so keen, however enjoys it cooked this way. They are delicious and very moreish.
Ellie said that the recipe for this marinated aubergine was not her recipe either, instead it was given to her by her Italian friend Cadia. Ellie kindly wrote it down for my and I said I’d put it on our blog, but ensure full credit was given to Cadia.
How to make Marinated Aubergine – recipe steps:
How to serve marinated aubergine?
Aubergine char-grilled over a barbecue and then added to a simple marinade. This recipe is so simple to prepare but really delicious to eat. I’ve made this recipe numerous times since coming home. I’d like to say my family enjoy it too, but I can’t convince any one of them to enjoy aubergine, regardless of how I cook it!
However, I always cook Italian marinated eggplant for myself and I keep it in the fridge for when the fancy takes me. They make a super simple lunch, with freshly baked sourdough bread and a bowl of olives.
I enjoy them on an anti-pasti board with olives; salad vegetables; pickled vegetables; meats and other cold cuts; cheese; and hummus. They also taste delicious as a side dish alongside some spicy couscous, or some grilled meats.
But quite often they’re eaten straight from the tub in the fridge and don’t actually make it to the plate! The same process and marinade can be used for courgettes and peppers.
Can I use this method to marinate other vegetables?
As we had the barbecue going we decided to add some red peppers and courgettes to our Italian marinated aubergine too. All of these work really well in the marinade. Worth mentioning that if you are adding other vegetables you may wish to double the marinade ingredients.
The aubergine and courgette are sliced and charred on both sides. However, the pepper needs to be treated a little differently. The process for grilling peppers in explained below.
Charring peppers:
If you want to include peppers place them on the barbecue whole and allow the skin to completely blacken on all sides. Once the pepper skin has blackened, place it straight into a plastic bag and seal. Allow the pepper to steam for around 10 minutes, then remove it from the bag.
By this time the skin should slip right off the pepper. Discard the skin, gently open the pepper up and remove the stalk, inner core and any seeds. Before running under cold water, drying it on some kitchen paper and adding to the marinade.
How long will Italian Marinated Augergine keep in the fridge?
These Italian marinated aubergine should last in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Just ensure that when you place them in the storage container that you completely cover the vegetables with the olive oil. If necessary add a little extra olive oil if it gets too low!
Don’t waste the flavoured oil!
Once you have eaten the marinated aubergine, don’t throw away the olive oil. It is beautifully flavoured and can be used to drizzle over food, like salad or meat; in salad dressings; for sauteing vegetables; or as a simple dipping oil with a chunk of crusty bread.
A huge thank you to Cadia, who shared the recipe with Ellie. Also to Ellie for passing it on to me so that I can share it with you. This is what I truly love about conversations with foodies, especially generous ones who love to pass on a recipe as we do.
Over the years I’ve met many foodies. There are those who choose to hold onto their recipes, unwilling to share. I’ve never understood that concept, then again I’m a food blogger so I wouldn’t.
Then there are those who share generously, and when I make this delicious aubergine, I’m transported to a warm sunny day on a campsite in Cornwall, talking foods and flavours!
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Additional recipe suggestions:
Planning a vegetable based meze party then try some of our other great meze side dishes:
- Beetroot Hummus
- Quick Courgette & Shallot Pickle
- Simple Hummus
- Spiced Carrot Hummus
- Scandinavian Egg Salad
- Soft Flatbreads
- Potato Galette
If you like this recipe then why not try some of our other vegetable based side dishes. Popular with everyone who tries them:
- Warm Potato Salad with Wild Garlic
- Warm Vegan Potato Salad
- Creamy Potato Salad
- Easy Bean Salad
- Fennel & Apple Slaw
- Harissa, Carrot & Chickpea Salad
Love salad? Then head to our Best Salad Recipes post where you will find links to all our favourite salads in one place.
Italian Marinated Aubergine
Ingredients
- 1 aubergine (sliced)
- 1 clove garlic (crushed)
- 1 red chilli (de-seeded and finely chopped)
- 1 small bunch flat leaf parsley (chopped)
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- juice of half lemon
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- Slice the aubergine into rounds and place on either a hot barbecue or grill pan and char on each side until softened. Turn frequently taking care not to burn the aubergine. Do not add any oil to either the pan or the aubergine as this will make the vegetable soggy. Once done set the aubergine aside to cool.
- Place all the remaining ingredients into a bowl, add the cooled aubergine and mix well to combine. Transfer to a good sealing container, ensuring the olive oil completely covers the aubergine, if not then top up with more olive oil. Place in the fridge where the aubergine will keep well for a week if properly sealed.
Notes
• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •
This recipe has been linked up to CookBlogShare click on this link to read other recipes from fellow food bloggers.
Nanise VULI
Oh this looks divine! I’m so glad I stumbled upon your blog as I have been searching for an Italian grilled aubergine recipe; something similar to what I had at a restaurant a couple of months ago. I absolutely loved that cold, full of flavour aubergine they had added onto the antipasto platter. Thanks to your blog, now I’ve found another way of cooking aubergine; adding it to my favourite list: the first is the Indian Baigan choka and now this (not favouring one over the other). Thank you so much for sharing this. Now, my family will probably be sick of seeing marinated aubergines (and other veggies too) in the fridge. 🙂
Lesley
Thank you Nanise, what a lovely comment to leave for us. I’m so glad that you’ve found this recipe, it’s one I love myself and make all the time, there’s always a tub in my fridge. At the moment I’ve also added courgettes from my own garden into the mix, which work great too. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do. Lesley x
Camilla Hawkin
This sounds so tasty, I am guilty of never using aubergine for much more than ratatouille so really need to mend my ways!
Lesley
Hi Camilla, I love aubergine, sadly rest of my family don’t feel the same. I love it in a curry but done like this they are ideal as I can just graze from the fridge! Lesley x
Mandy
These look lovely – I love a good grilled aubergine. That spice question is tricky though. I love smoked paprika but not sure that it would be my number one. Maybe cumin?
Lesley
Thank you Mandy, they are very tasty for something so simple. That’s my dilemma too spice-wise, cumin or paprika, it depends on the day. Lesley x
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie
Love these! I remember eons ago I studied Italian in Florence (as you do!) and my host ‘mamma’ made something very similar for dinner – SO GOOD. I’ve had similar things in the UK since, but never quite as good – I think your recipe could well match up though! And yep, I am in the smoked paprika brigade too – though only limiting me to one, that’s just mean! Can I have cumin too? That would be my number two choice – and they go soooo well together, especially when on sweet potato fries!! Eb x
Lesley
Hi Eb, I’ve tried other recipes but when I was given this one I knew it was a winner, simple yet delicious. Ha, ha it’s such a struggle to stick to one spice, cumin would be my no 2 but cinnamon in there too – an almost impossible question. Lesley x
Monika Dabrowski
What a lovely snack, everything about this recipe is beautiful, and I am a huge fan of grilled vegetables! Especially when they are prepared as nicely as yours are:)
Lesley
Hi Monika, they have become a real favourite in my house, so simple to prepare. I love aubergine anyway, but marinated like this they are close to perfection for me. Lesley