Best Grilled Eggplant And Shrimp Salad Recipes

GRILLED SHRIMP AND EGGPLANT WITH FISH SAUCE AND MINT

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to medium or the oven to 425 degrees. Toss eggplant with 6 tablespoons oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Place in a grill basket, or spread in an even layer on one or two rimmed baking sheets (leave plenty of room between pieces so they can brown). Grill or roast until eggplant softens and browns, about 10 to 20 minutes.
• While eggplant cooks, toss shrimp with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Thread shrimp onto skewers if grilling. If roasting, remove baking sheet from oven and add shrimp, stirring well. Return to oven to bake until shrimp is just opaque and eggplant is golden brown, an additional 10 to 12 minutes. Or grill shrimp alongside eggplant until shrimp is cooked and eggplant very soft and brown, 5 to 10 minutes longer.
• Using a mortar and pestle or a heavy knife, pound or mince together the garlic and a pinch of salt until a paste forms (if using a knife, use flat side after garlic is minced). In a bowl or platter, toss shrimp, eggplant, garlic paste, mint and fish sauce together. Serve with mint sprigs for garnish.

GRILLED EGGPLANT SALAD (YAM MAKHEUA YAO)

Steps:

• Fried Garlic: Place fine-mesh strainer over heatproof bowl and set aside. Pour oil into a shallow pan, ½-inch deep. Set pan over high heat until oil is lightly bubbling, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, place garlic cloves in a food processor and pulse to roughly chop. Add garlic to the oil and immediately turn heat to low. Cook 3-4 minutes, stirring the entire time to prevent garlic from burning.
• When garlic is light golden brown and the bubbling has slowed, turn off heat. Strain the garlic, reserving the flavorful oil in the bowl. Gently shake the strainer to remove as much oil as possible, then drain and cool the garlic on paper towels in an even layer. Garlic will crisp as it cools. Makes about ¼ cup fried garlic and ½ cup garlic oil. Storage: Fried garlic can be stored in a container, uncovered, at room temperature for up to 2 days. Alternatively, place into an airtight container with a silica gel packet (available online) to store for several weeks. Garlic oil can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.
• Fried Shallots: Place fine-mesh strainer over heatproof bowl and set aside. Pour oil into a shallow pan, ½-inch deep. Set pan over high heat until oil is lightly bubbling, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the shallots by peeling, cutting in half, then thinly slicing with the grain into a julienne. When the oil is bubbling, turn heat to low, add the shallots, and stir. Don't rush the process with high heat: cook, stirring and scraping the sides occasionally, adjusting the heat to maintain a gentle sizzle, 5-10 minutes.
• When the oil stops bubbling and the shallots are starting to brown but still look raw, turn off heat. The residual heat will continue cooking the shallots. Continue stirring and flipping the shallots until they are a deep golden brown and crispy, another 1-2 minutes. Strain the shallots, reserving the flavorful oil in the bowl. Cool the shallots on paper towels in an even layer. Shallots will crisp as they cool. Makes about ¼ cup fried shallots and ½ cup shallot oil. Storage: Fried shallots can be stored in a container, uncovered, at room temperature for up to 2 days. Alternatively, place into an airtight container with a silica gel packet (available online) to keep fresh for several weeks. Shallot oil can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.
• Eggplants: Preheat charcoal grill according to grill directions to medium heat, about 30 minutes. Once the coals have begun to turn gray but are still flaming, place the eggplants directly on the coals. Cook, turning frequently, until the skin has almost completely blackened and the flesh is very soft, about 4 minutes; the goal is to fully char the skin before the flesh gets mushy. When they're ready, a knife should meet almost no resistance when the eggplant is poked. Alternatively, eggplants can be roasted over the burner of a stove: turn frequently until the skin has blistered and blackened.
• Salad: Julienne the shallot into long strips, thinly slice chiles into rings, and roughly chop boiled egg. Set aside. Meanwhile, remove charred eggplant from the grill or stove. Place in a shallow bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap to steam the eggplants for easier removal of the charred skin, 5-10 minutes.
• Dressing: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add fish sauce, palm sugar simple syrup, lime juice, and sliced chiles. Heat the mixture just until it's warm to the touch, 15 seconds. Peel off and discard the skin of the eggplants. (It's fine to leave bits of charred skin; they will add to the smoky flavor of the dish.) Cut peeled eggplants into 1-inch pieces and place into the warm dressing. Stir gently, then stir in the julienned shallots.
• Assembly: Transfer eggplant mixture to a serving platter. Garnish with dried shrimp, chopped egg, fried garlic, fried shallot, and a few cilantro leaves. Serve.

RAGIN' CAJUN EGGPLANT AND SHRIMP SKILLET

Steps:

• Place eggplant in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until tender, 3-4 minutes. Drain., Preheat oven to 350°. In an ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion and green pepper; saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; stir in tomatoes and eggplant. Saute 5 minutes. Stir in seasonings. Add shrimp and bread crumbs; saute 5 minutes longer, stirring well., Bake 30 minutes. Remove skillet from oven; top with cheese. Bake 5 minutes more.

GRILLED SHRIMP AND EGGPLANT APPETIZERS

Steps:

• Cut the tops off the eggplants and slice each eggplant vertically into four slices, each about one-half-inch thick.
• Place three tablespoons of the oil plus salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl, add the eggplants and toss to coat them completely with this mixture.
• Place remaining oil along with soy sauce and lemon juice in another bowl, add the shrimp and toss.
• Allow the shrimp and eggplant to marinate at least 30 minutes, then light the grill.
• Grill the eggplant slices very close to hot coals for about five minutes, turning them once during the grilling, until they are attractively seared. Do not overcook. String the shrimp on skewers or place them on a fine mesh rack and grill them about two minutes on each side, until they begin to sear. Do not overcook.
• Spread each grilled eggplant slice with a little of the hoisin sauce and sprinkle with some of the scallion. Place a grilled shrimp on each eggplant slice and roll the eggplant around it. Skewer with a toothpick and serve.

GRILLED SWORDFISH AND EGGPLANT SALAD WITH HONEY-THYME VINAIGRETTE

Steps:

• Whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, chopped thyme and some salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.
• Heat a charcoal or gas grill to high for direct grilling. Brush the eggplant, poblanos and bell pepper with canola oil, scatter over some of the whole thyme leave sand season with salt and pepper. Grill the poblanos and bell pepper until charred all over and somewhat tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the grill to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let steam. Continue to grill the eggplant until charred on both sides and tender, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Brush the swordfish on all sides with canola oil, scatter the remaining whole thyme leaves on both sides and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the swordfish until charred on both sides and just cooked through, about 5 minutes per side, depending on thickness.
• Peel, seed and dice the poblanos and bell pepper and transfer to a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add the watercress. Pour some of the dressing around the sides of the bowl, and toss to dress the vegetables.
• Put the fish on a large platter. Drizzle over the remaining dressing and top with the salad. Serve.