I had to do it! All the baked, healthy options one could make with eggplant and here I am with a pot of hot oil…I blame the fact that I am pregnant, or maybe I miss my family in Spain.
On a trip to Marbella, Spain several years ago to visit my beautiful family my cousins took me to a restaurant called Azafran (Spanish for Saffron). We had the most simple and delicious appetizer, eggplant fries with molasses and sea salt. Since I can’t fly to Spain on a whim as I am not independently wealthy, I decided to make my own version. If only my kids had let me enjoy more than a few of them…well at least they got their veggies!
I used one Japanese eggplant and one Mediterranean as that is what my CSA box contained this week. Any eggplant will work.
I began by slicing the eggplant into planks then slicing them into almost matchsticks keeping them long. Coat the strips with a good amount of salt and lay out in a kitchen towel to remove some of the moisture. After about 5-10 minutes roll them up in the towel and give them a little squeeze. This will help them crisp up while frying.
Heat a couple inches of olive oil in a large sauce pan to 350 degrees F. If you don’t have a thermometer no worries, just heat oil over medium to medium high heat. You will know when it is ready by testing it with one of your fries or a chunk of bread. When you drop the fry or bread in it should begin frying immediately. If it doesn’t pull it out and wait a couple more minutes.
When the oil is ready add the eggplant strips in batches making sure not to crowd them. Fry 4-5 minutes per batch drain on paper towel and season them to taste with sea salt. Pile finished fries on a plate and drizzle with a tablespoon or so of molasses and a pinch of sea salt. Sit back and enjoy!
Eggplant Fries with Molasses and Sea Salt
Ingredients
- 2 eggplants (any variety)
- 2 cups Olive Oil for frying
- Sea Salt
- Blackstrap or Dark Molasses
Instructions
- Slice eggplant into planks then into 1/8 inch strips
- Sprinkle them with salt and let sit on a towel to drain about 5-10 minutes
- Roll eggplant strips up into towel and squeeze to drain off excess liquid
- Heat oil to 350 degrees F in a large sauce pan (add at least enough oil for 2-3 inch depth)
- Fry the eggplant in batches not crowding the pan, until golden brown
- Drain on paper towels
- Sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle with molasses
Cheers!
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