FOOD

Fried Eggplant With Cumin & Salt-Pickled Lemons

Crispy, delicious and just as addictive as potato chips. No joke!

recipe image

Ingredients (SERVES 6)

6          lemons
1/2 cup kosher salt
1 lb baby eggplants
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp crushed cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 egg
1 cup olive oil
2 tbsp finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

Two days before (or more):

  1. To make pickled lemons, cut two lemons into 1/4-inch slices, remove any seeds and then chop into small cubes. Place chopped lemons in a jar or sealable container.
  2. Juice remaining 4 lemons and mix with 1/2 cup salt. Pour mixture over chopped lemons and let rest for at least 48 hours.

Morning of :

  1. Slice eggplants into 1/4-inch slices. In a dry skillet, cook until light brown on both sides. You may need to do this in batches.
  2. In a dish, mix flour, cumin, paprika and pepper.
  3. In another dish, whisk egg with 2 tablespoons of water. Dip eggplant slices first in egg, then in flour. Repeat until all are coated.
  4. In a skillet with olive oil, fry eggplant until golden and crisp. Place slices on paper towel.
  5. 5. Finely chop 1 tablespoon of the salt-pickled lemons.

To serve:

  1. Top each eggplant slice with a little pickled lemon, onion and cilantro.

Nutritional information

Nutrients per serving: 119 calories, 6 g fat, 3 g protein, 14 g carbs, 4 g fibre.

By Carina Malling Skronski & Nanna Simonsen
Photography by Lars Ranek