Salata de Vinete 🥗 Romanian Eggplant Salad 🇷🇴 (Roasted Eggplant Spread)

Description

Smoky fire-roasted eggplant whipped with sunflower oil, lemon, and a whisper of onion—silky, bright, and perfect on warm bread. 🫶🔥

Hook: Roast, drain, whip—restaurant-smooth in 30 minutes of hands-on time. ⚡

Ingredients

• Eggplants (globe), whole: 1.2 kg (about 3 medium / 2.6 lb)
• Sunflower oil (traditional; or light olive oil): 80–120 ml (⅓–½ cup / 2.7–4 fl oz)
• Lemon juice: 15–20 ml (1–1½ tbsp / 0.5–0.68 fl oz)
• Fine sea salt: to taste (≈6 g / 1 tsp)
• Black pepper, freshly ground: ¼ tsp (0.5 g / 0.02 oz)
• Small white onion, very finely grated (rinsed and squeezed dry): 30 g (2 tbsp / 1.1 oz)
• Optional mayonnaise (classic Bucharest variation): 30–40 g (2–3 tbsp / 1–1.4 oz)
• Chopped parsley, to finish: 1 tbsp (4 g / 0.14 oz)
• To serve: crusty bread, tomato slices

Preparation

1. 1️⃣ Char & steam: Broil/grill eggplants, turning, until skins are completely blackened and flesh collapses (20–30 min). Transfer to a bowl, cover 10 min to steam.
2. 2️⃣ Peel & drain: Strip off skins; scoop the pulp to a sieve. Let drain 15–20 min to shed bitter juices; chop to a fine paste (wooden board/spatula traditional).
3. 3️⃣ Emulsify: In a bowl, whisk the warm pulp while slowly streaming in sunflower oil until pale and fluffy. Stir in lemon juice, salt, pepper, and a little grated onion to taste. (For the mayo version, fold mayo in at the end.)
4. 4️⃣ Chill & serve: Taste and adjust acid/salt. Chill 30 min. Scatter parsley and serve with bread and tomatoes.

Total Time

🕒 Prep: 20 min
🔥 Cook: 20–30 min
⏳ Total: 50–60 min (includes draining)

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