Simple Grilled Eggplant

I didn'tstart cooking with eggplant until about 3 weeks ago.  I remember one time I tried to make it years ago and it was mushy and just...yuck.  But I've learned a few things since then and thought I'd revisit it.  Now my husband and I are kind of obsessed...

So far, I've made Eggplant Parm (recipe coming!) twice and we have grilled AND roasted it.  Yes, all in 3 weeks.  Obsessed!  We love it.  My one-year old also loves it.  My 3 and 5-year olds?  Not so much...but I've tried!  

One of the tricks I've learned is that you really should draw out the moisture before preparing.  See instructions below, but you will not believe how much water comes out of an eggplant!  Your paper towels will be soaked.  Also, because I am salting them previously, even with a rinse, I either VERY lightly salt them or not at all right before preparing.  You can over due the salt so just watch out.

I hope you start to like eggplant as much as me if you haven't really tried it before.  This is a very simple dish, but is a perfect summer side!

Serves 3-4 

Simple Grilled Eggplant

1 large eggplant
2 tablespoons sea salt
1/3 cup olive oil
fresh ground pepper

Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch rounds.  Place slices on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.  Sprinkle the eggplant rounds evenly with the salt and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour.  This will draw out the moisture.  Quickly rinse and pat dry.

Preheat grill to medium high heat.  Brush one side of the eggplant with oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Repeat on other side.  Grill on one side until grill marks appear, then flip and grill until eggplant is tender; total time about 5 minutes.  Serve immediately.