I remember visiting my friend Carrie after we graduated from college in Austin, Texas. She and her husband welcomed me with open arms and showed me a great time (South by Southwest, anyone?).
While visiting, Carrie whipped up a batch of Eggplant Parmesan that was out of this world good. I remember coming back to Virginia, where I was living at the time, to make my own version. The result? Not good.
My eggplant was too bitter and not nearly as tasty at Carrie’s version. Sometime later I came across this tip and it saved me from having bitter eggplant ever since.
To extract eggplant’s bitterness, slice it however you plant to use it and place in a colander:
A simple pinch or two of kosher or regular salt on one side...
A flip and repeat, and you are well on your way to removing the bitterness in the eggplant.
Let the eggplant sit for about 10 minutes and use as you desire. Just remember, that the eggplant has a pinch of salt on it, so you may want to decrease the amount of salt that is called for in the recipe.
The salt extracts the bitter liquid in the eggplant, leaving you with only the tasty eggplant flavor!
SPC