Whole Grilled Japanese Eggplant with Lemon and Soy Sauce
Tender Japanese eggplants grilled until perfectly soft, then peeled and dressed with a savory-tart combination of soy sauce and lemon juice, finished with optional katsuobushi flakes for an authentic Japanese touch.
Ingredients
- •2 tablespoons soy sauce
- •4 teaspoons lemon juice
- •2 teaspoons olive oil
- •4 whole Japanese eggplants
- •¼ cup katsuobushi
- •dried
- •shaved bonito flakes
- •optional
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Whisk together the soy sauce, lemon juice, and olive oil in a bowl to make the dressing; set aside. Score the stem end of each eggplant, making a circular cut in the skin (this will make the eggplant easier to peel). Poke a few holes into the eggplants with a skewer or fork to allow steam to escape as they grill.
5 min
- 2.
Preheat a grill to medium. Grill for about 8 minutes, turning the eggplants a quarter turn every 2 minutes. Try to grill the eggplant all around. Test the eggplants for doneness by pressing against their sides with a pair of tongs. If the eggplants give easily, they're ready. Transfer the eggplants to a plate.
10 min
- 3.
As soon as the eggplants are cool enough to handle, carefully peel off the skin (the skin comes off more easily if the eggplant is warm; don't let it cool completely). Once you've removed the skin, remove the stems, and slice each eggplant into 4 pieces, cutting on an angle. Transfer the eggplant slices to a platter. Drizzle with dressing, sprinkle with the bonito, and serve.
8 min
