Eggplant Salad (My Mom’s Middle Eastern Roasted Eggplant)

This eggplant salad is my mom’s eggplant salad. It has Mediterranean, more Middle Eastern, slightly Moroccan flavors, and it’s one of those recipes we grew up eating all the time.

Eggplant is a tricky vegetable. You either love it or you really don’t. There’s rarely an in-between. In our house, we always loved eggplant, and especially this eggplant salad. My mom makes it often, and every time it’s on the table, it disappears very quickly.

What I like about this eggplant salad recipe is how simple it is, but still very flavorful. You’re not frying the eggplant or doing anything complicated. You slice it, brush it generously with olive oil, sprinkle some salt, and roast it at a high temperature until it turns golden, soft, and almost buttery inside.

That roasting step changes everything. The eggplant becomes naturally sweet, tender, and rich instead of spongy or bland, which is usually what makes people think they don’t like eggplant in the first place.

Why This Middle Eastern Eggplant Salad Works So Well

The dressing is what really makes this eggplant salad special. Instead of using raw garlic straight away, you grate it and briefly heat it with olive oil. This takes away that harsh sharpness and gives you a much rounder, deeper flavor without losing the garlic taste.

Then you mix it with lemon juice, spices, preserved lemon, herbs, and the small diced additions like pickles and sweet pepper. It sounds simple, but the flavor is layered. You get lemony, slightly smoky, fresh, and savory all at once, and it pairs perfectly with the soft roasted eggplant.

Another important part is the roasting itself. When you roast the eggplant at a high temperature with olive oil and salt, it turns golden, buttery, and slightly sweet inside instead of spongy or bland. That texture is exactly what makes this roasted eggplant salad work.

You can eat it right away while the eggplant is still warm and juicy, or let it sit so it soaks up the dressing and becomes even more flavorful. Both ways work, and honestly it’s hard to go wrong with it.

Why You’ll Love This Eggplant Salad Recipe

• Proper roasted eggplant, not mushy
  Roasting at high heat makes the eggplant golden, soft, and buttery instead of spongy or oily.
• Simple ingredients, deep Middle Eastern flavor
  Olive oil, lemon, garlic, paprika, cumin, and preserved lemon create a bold but balanced eggplant salad.
• My mom’s dressing method makes a real difference
  Briefly heating the garlic with olive oil removes the harsh bite and gives a smoother, rounder flavor.
• Tastes good warm or after resting
  You can eat it right away while it’s juicy, or let it sit so the eggplant soaks up all the dressing.
• Naturally Mediterranean and Middle Eastern style
  The flavors lean lemony, herby, and slightly smoky, not heavy or overly spicy.
• Perfect with labneh, yogurt, or pita
  This eggplant salad works especially well as part of a spread with bread and creamy sides.
• Even people who “don’t like eggplant” often like this
  The roasting changes the texture completely and brings out a softer, slightly sweet flavor.
• Great make-ahead eggplant salad
  It actually becomes more flavorful after a short rest in the fridge.

YouTube Video (How to Make Eggplant Salad, Step – By – Step)

Here’s how I make my mom’s Middle Eastern eggplant salad step by step.
You can see the roasting, the dressing, and how I plate it so the eggplant stays juicy and flavorful.

Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel, and follow on Instagram so you don’t miss anything!

Ingredients for My Mom’s Eggplant Salad

For the Eggplant

• 2 eggplants
• Olive oil (good quality, for brushing)
• Sea salt

For My Mom’s Dressing

• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1 tbsp olive oil (for the garlic)
• 3 tbsp water
• ½ tsp sweet paprika
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp preserved lemon, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Fresh Add-Ins (DO NOT SKIP)

• 1 small sweet pepper, finely diced
• 3–4 small pickles (cucumber pickles), finely diced
• A handful of cilantro leaves (or parsley, traditionally)

How to Choose the Best Eggplant for Eggplant Salad

1. Choose eggplants that feel light for their size
   Lighter eggplants usually have fewer seeds and a better texture, which is ideal for roasted eggplant salad.
2. Look for bright, shiny skin
   The skin should be smooth, glossy, and tight. Dull or wrinkled skin usually means the eggplant is not very fresh.
3. Check the firmness
   Gently press the eggplant with your fingers. It should feel firm but not hard, and definitely not mushy.
4. Pay attention to the green stem
   The top should look fresh and green, not dry or brown. A vibrant stem is a good sign of freshness.
5. Avoid storing eggplants in the fridge
   Eggplants don’t like cold temperatures. I usually keep them at room temperature and use them within a couple of days.
6. Use them relatively quickly
   Eggplants can spoil faster than other vegetables, so it’s best to cook them within a few days of buying.
7. Best season for eggplant
   Eggplants are at their best in late summer and early fall, when they are naturally sweeter and less bitter, which makes a big difference in an eggplant salad recipe like this.

How to Make Eggplant Salad

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) and line a tray with parchment paper (and foil if you want easier cleanup).
2. Partially peel the eggplants and slice them into 1–1.5 cm (about ½ inch) thick rounds.
3. Place the slices on the tray, brush both sides generously with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt.
4. Roast for 20–30 minutes, until the eggplant is golden, soft, and slightly buttery inside.
   (You can flip if needed, depending on your oven and how thick you sliced them.)
5. While the eggplant is roasting, grate the garlic into a small microwave-safe bowl and add 1 tablespoon olive oil.
   Microwave for about 20 seconds to soften the sharp raw garlic flavor.
6. Add the water, paprika, cumin, chopped preserved lemon, and lemon juice. Mix well.
7. Finely dice the sweet pepper and pickles, and add them to the dressing along with the cilantro (or parsley).
8. Once the eggplant is ready, arrange the slices in one layer on a large flat plate if possible.
9. Spoon the dressing over the eggplant so it absorbs all the juices and flavor.
10. Serve right away while warm and juicy, or let it rest in the fridge for a bit so the flavors soak in even more.

Storage

Store the eggplant salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3–4 days.

Before serving, you can:

• Eat it cold straight from the fridge
• Or let it sit at room temperature for 15–20 minutes so the olive oil and flavors open up again

Tips for the Best Eggplant Salad

• Use fresh, shiny eggplants
  Dull, wrinkled eggplants tend to be more bitter and spongy. Look for ones that feel light, firm, and have a bright green stem.
• Don’t skip the high heat
  Roasting at 220°C (425°F) gives you that golden, buttery texture instead of soggy eggplant.
• Slice evenly (about 1–1.5 cm / ½ inch)
  If some slices are too thin and some too thick, they won’t roast evenly.
• Be generous with olive oil
  Eggplant absorbs oil, and that’s what makes it soft, rich, and flavorful instead of dry.
• Warm the garlic (my mom’s trick)
  Microwaving the garlic with olive oil for 20 seconds removes that harsh raw taste and makes the dressing much more balanced.
• Use preserved lemon if you can
  It adds a deep, salty, citrusy flavor that makes this eggplant salad taste more Middle Eastern and less like plain roasted vegetables.
• Spoon the dressing while the eggplant is warm
  This helps the slices absorb all the flavor and juices much better.
• Let it rest if you have time
  It’s amazing fresh, but after 30–60 minutes in the fridge, the flavors soak in and it gets even more juicy and flavorful.
• Use parchment paper
  Eggplant can stick, especially if your pan isn’t great quality (learned this the hard way).

Frequently Asked Questions

More Recipes You’ll Love

If you enjoyed this eggplant salad, here are a couple more recipes that pair really well with it, especially if you’re building a Middle Eastern style spread:

• My preserved lemons recipe – perfect if you want to make the dressing exactly as written and get that deep, salty-citrusy flavor
• Green tahini – amazing drizzled next to the eggplant salad for a different flavor direction
• Labneh (how to make labneh) – my favorite way to serve this eggplant salad, especially with warm pita
• Zhoug recipe – for anyone who likes a spicy, herby kick next to roasted vegetables

They all work together really naturally and turn this simple eggplant salad into a full, colorful, very homemade table.