Easy Fried Eggplant recipe for crispy rounds coated in crunchy goodness, fried golden brown. The textures of this fried dish are unmatched.
This crispy eggplant is more than a Side Dish. You can use it to replace the chicken in Classic Chicken Parmesan, stuff it in a hoagie for a sandwich, or serve as an appetizer like you would Fried Zucchini.
Sabrina’s Fried Eggplant Recipe
While I love Roasted Eggplant as a delicious, healthy side dish, there is something about frying veggies that makes them a million times better. Indulging in fried foods doesn’t feel nearly as naughty when that breading is wrapped around a nutritious vegetable. If you really want to get all the flavor without so many calories, I’ve included Air-Fryer and Baking instructions too. You can serve them in so many ways, but my favorite way is to keep it simple with extra Parmesan cheese and parsley and some Pizza Sauce or Marinara for dipping.
Ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants , about 6 to 8 inches long
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 large egg
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley , chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 2 cups bread crumbs
- 1/2 cups Parmesan , grated
- vegetable oil , for frying
Instructions
- Cut ends of eggplants and slice into rounds, about ¼ inch thick. Lay slices on a cooling rack and season with salt. Let sit for 20 minutes.
- Flip, season again, and let sit for another 20 minutes.
- Pat dry with paper towels.
- In a low bowl whisk together garlic, egg, parsley, salt and pepper.
- In a second low bowl add the bread crumbs and grated Parmesan, stirring well.
- Dredge the eggplant into the egg mixture then the breadcrumbs.
- Let rest on cooling rack for 5 minutes.
- Add oil to a large frying pan on medium high heat.
- Fry the eggplant rounds 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown.
Notes
Preheat the air-fryer to 370 degrees. If you want, you can line the basket with foil.
Fry slices in batches for 8-10 minutes. Flip and cook for 4-5 minutes more, or until desired crispiness.
Don’t overcrowd the fryer basket, they should be in a single layer without touching.
Prepare eggplant as usual and place in a single layer on the oiled baking pan.
Drizzle about 2 teaspoons of oil evenly over eggplant slices.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
You can flip them and broil for a couple minutes if the bottoms aren’t as crispy.
Nutrition
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Enjoyed very, very much, but ended up a tad salty due to the water extraction
Oh Oh! Maybe cut back on the salt next time? Thanks for the five star review.