You won’t see a recipe in our archives that calls for salting eggplant before cooking it. We’d rather grill slices of the nightshades like thick steaks to keep them from getting leathery and smother then with a creamy, summery corn sauce you’ll want to keep around for the skirt steaks you’ve been wanting to drop on the BBQ. Serves 2 as a main dish, but this recipe is easy to double for a larger crowd.
Ingredients
2Eggplantsthinly sliced into 6-8 slices lengthwise
2-3TbspOlive oil
2tspKosher salt
4-5sprigs Thyme
3TbspOlive oil
1/2Yellow onionminced
3-5TbspWater
3Large ears of cornkernels removed
1Green onionminced
1-2tspKosher saltto taste
Instructions
Heat up a grill or grill pan with vegetable oil. Brush remaining oil with thyme and salt on eggplant slices. Place each slice on the grill and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Avoid turning them over more than once! Set aside while you make the crema.
Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and shake the pan, cooking just until the onions are translucent.
Add the corn and cook until kernels are tender. Set aside 3 Tbsp of the corn for garnish later (sprinkle these with a touch of salt).
Once cooked, take the larger amount of corn and blend in a food processor until smooth, adding as much water as you need to make it looser than a paste. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper. Stir in the green onions and corn that you set aside.
Spoon crema over grilled eggplant slices, or spread the crema over each slice, rolling them up and fastening them with a toothpick for a delicious appetizer.