Updated 9/17/2025

Pickled eggplants are one of my favorite sandwich toppers. They are very easy to make. Be careful to choose a large eggplant with no bruises since they can rot in a short amount of time.

It is usually recommended that you salt the sliced up eggplant and layer them in a colander with a heavy weight on top to let the bitter juice drip off, but I have used eggplants without doing this extra step when I was in a hurry and have had no problems.

Although eggplants come in a variety of  sizes and are usually some shade of purple, they actually got their name because they can also be white, which makes them look just like an egg.

White eggplants
Photo credit: Alaina B. via DIYlovin / CC BY-NC-SA

Some people say that you can tell which eggplants have less seeds by knowing which is male or female, but that is inaccurate since an eggplant is actually the fruit of a plant, and, therefore, is neither male nor female. The eggplants that have a round “dimple” on the end have fewer seeds, while the ones with an oval or long “dimple” have more seeds. I’ve never checked so I can’t vouch for that.

Eggplants are healthy because they contain flavonoids which reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. They are a rich in vitamin C, K, B6, thiamin, niacin, magnesium, phosphorous, copper, folic acid, potassium, and manganese, and contain a great amount of dietary fiber. They are also low in fat and calories.(https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/279359.php, https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vegetable/health-benefits-of-eggplant.html)

Ingredients
1 large eggplant
salt (to taste)
red pepper flakes (to taste, or you can omit)
vegetable oil (enough to fill the pan about 1/2 inch)
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/4  cup of red wine vinegar
water

1. rinse the eggplant and cut into slices of equal thickness. You can peel it before slicing but I prefer to leave the skin on otherwise the slices can fall apart while frying.
2. sprinkle salt on each slice and layer them in a wide colander. Place a heavy weight such as a pot filled with water on top and let them sit for an hour or so to let the bitter juice drip off. Rinse with water and pat dry.
3. in a large pan, fill with vegetable oil (don’t use olive oil or it will start to smoke once it reaches a certain temperature) and heat.
4. once the oil is hot, place a few slices at a time making sure not to crowd the pan because the slices will need to be turned over to cook evenly.
5. remove each slice carefully when it is cooked through and place on a plate that has been covered with paper towels to absorb some of the oil.
6. once all the eggplant slices have been fried and cooled, place them in a wide container that can be covered tightly with a top, layering them and sprinkling each layer with the chopped garlic.
7. once all the eggplant is in the container, add the vinegar and enough water to cover all of it.
8. place a heavy plate over it and push down. Keep this plate in so that the eggplant absorbs all the goodness of the garlic and vinegar. There is no need to add more oil because the eggplant already has absorbed the oil it was fried in.
9. cover tightly and place in the refrigerator.

Every once in a while check to make sure that all the eggplant is covered in vinegar and water or it can start to grow mold. It will last in the refrigerator a couple of months, if you don’t finish eating it beforehand because it’s so good!

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