Eggplant Caviar is a terrific smoky roasted eggplant dip! Perfect to spread over crackers for an easy, healthy, delicious appetizer.
It’s another traditional dish that I got from my mom and its roots come from Ukraine/Russia however many other cuisines use a similar recipe for this kind of spread.
Also, here's a very similar spread recipe but it's made with squash and with a slightly different method.
Oh, and don’t be confused by the name ‘’caviar’’, it has nothing to do with the fish eggs.
The eggplant caviar itself can be served either pureed or cut into small pieces which may have some similarities with the expensive caviar.
Honestly, even my mom didn’t even know where this name came from, if you know please do let us know down below in the comments!
[mailerlite_form form_id=17]Instructions
1. Roast (or grill) the eggplants: Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
2. Wash the eggplant, pat dry, and poke the skin sides of the eggplants with the tines of a fork all over. Brush with oil and transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
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3. Bake for 30 minutes, or until completely cooked through and very soft.
4. Make sure to turn the eggplant a few times while baking.
5. After removing the eggplants from the oven, wrap them in foil and place them on a plate or cooling rack. Then, once cool to touch without burning your fingers, start peeling the eggplant's skin off. At this point, it should come off quite easily.
6. Slice the eggplants into small cubes.
7. Prepare the rest of the ingredients. In a medium pan, add olive oil and saute onion until translucent for about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce and reduce the heat. Cook for 5 minutes more.
8. Add the sliced eggplants to the pan, season with salt, pepper, sugar, and add minced garlic. Stir everything well until all the ingredients covered in the sauce and let cook on low heat for about 7-9 minutes, constantly stirring.
9. Remove from heat and sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs. Best served warm but can be enjoyed as a cold spread with crackers, pita chips, crostini toasts, or for gluten-free option celery or cucumber sticks.
Store
Few tips on how to store the eggplant caviar - keep refrigerated in an airtight closed container for up to 3 days. I wouldn’t recommend freezing it as it is best to be consumed right away. You can also reheat it in a small nonstick pan (no oil or very little amount, if needed) until warm to touch, or in a microwave or oven. The roasted eggplant dip can be eaten either warm or cold, personal preference!
Hope you enjoy this eggplant caviar recipe, let me know who it turned out!
xx Julia
Eggplant Caviar Recipe (Russian Style)
INGREDIENTS
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 lb eggplant
- 10 oz onion or about two large
- 2-3 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon pepper ground
- 2 garlic clove
INSTRUCTIONS
- Roast the eggplants: Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Wash the eggplant, pat dry, and poke the skin sides of the eggplants with the tines of a fork all over. Brush with oil and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 30 minutes, or until completely cooked through and very soft.
- Make sure to turn the eggplant for few times while baking.
- After removing from the oven, wrap the eggplants in foil and place on a plate or cooling rack to cool down. Once cooled down that you don’t burn your fingers, start removing the skin. It should come off quite easily.
- Slice the eggplants into small cubes.
- Prepare the rest of the ingredients. In a medium pan, add olive oil and saute onion until translucent for about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste/sauce and reduce the heat. Cook for 5 minutes more.
- Add the sliced eggplants to the pan, season with salt, pepper, sugar, and add minced garlic. Stir everything well until all the ingredients covered in the sauce and let cook on low heat for about 7-9 minutes, constantly stirring.
- Remove from heat and sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs.
- Best served warm but can be enjoyed as a cold spread with crackers, pita chips, crostini toasts, or for gluten-free option celery or cucumber sticks.
NOTES
PRIVATE NOTES
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Need a different visual? This recipe is also available as a story!
hari
amazing recipe.
looks delicious and yummy.
can't wait to try it.
thanks for sharing.
Julia
Thank you Hari, I hope you'll love this!
Anne
We have a quite similar recipe in our family, but we don't add tomato paste. What a game changer! We love it your way more!
Julia
thank you Anne, glad you liked it!
Maria
Calling this Russian recipe, shows ignorance and inauthenticity. Call it Armenian or Georgian, even mid eastern and Mediterranean to be vague. but definitely not Russian. I grew up in ussr, know this from the first hand.
Julia
Hi Maria. Thank you for your feedback, this is the recipe that was and is from my family and my family comes from Ukraine and Russia. I believe everyone has their own version of every famous dish, which is how it is anyway AND should be. If you have read the blog post you'd see that I never called it a ''Russian'' recipe. If you don't like it, please don't make my recipe.
Marcy Rye
I agree, my mother's family escaped from Ukraine at turn of the century with their lives and she made it similar to your recipe which I wrote down and am about to make it!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Thank you Marcy and I hope it turned delicious for you!
Lana
Well I grew up in Russia and it IS ABSOLUTELY a Russian /Ukrainian dish ..
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Благодарю Лана!