Turkish Smoky Eggplant Salad Recipe (2024)

This Turkish eggplant salad is uniquely delicious. Charred eggplant and bell peppers are combined with tomatoes, herbs and spices for a delightful convergence of flavors. Like other Mediterranean salads, key ingredients include olive oil, lemon juice and sumac.

If you've been a long time reader, you know eggplant if one of our favorite ingredients. When it comes to eggplant recipes, we love them all; from baba ganoush and Middle Eastern eggplant to hearty karniyarik (Turkish stuffed eggplant). This Turkish style smoky eggplant salad is another favorite that I cannot wait to share with you. It goes well with many Turkish dishes and even eggplant skeptics love it!

Smoky eggplant salad - Turkish style

Charred and smoky eggplant has a special place in the Persian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. Just like melitzanosalata and mutabal, this recipe also calls for the eggplants to be charred on an open flame, preferably your gas range (instructions for the roasted version below).

If you're looking for more ways to use charred and smoky eggplant, try mirza ghasemi, an Iranian dish made with eggplants, tomatoes and eggs.

Ingredients notes

• Eggplant: The star of the dish is the eggplant, so make sure to get the best ones you can find. It's best to use Italian eggplants for this recipe. If using globe eggplants, make sure they're not too large, otherwise they won't cook completely and will remain raw in the middle.
• Bell peppers: You need both green and red bell peppers for this recipe.
• Onion: Yellow or white onion would work for this recipe.
• Tomato: Firm tomatoes such as roma or beefsteak would work perfectly for this recipe.
• Garlic: One to two cloves would do. It's important not to overuse garlic in this recipe since it can overshadow the smoky eggplant flavor.
• Parsley: Use flat leaf parsley, not the curly variation.
• Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil adds depth and earthiness to the salad.
• Sumac: This bright red spice adds tanginess to the salad and cannot be substituted with any other spice. Find sumac in Middle Eastern or Mediterranean shops or online.
• Lemon: Freshly squeezed lemon juice adds a nice bright flavor to the smoky eggplant.

How to make eggplant salad Turkish style

1. Wash and dry the eggplants completely. Then pierce them using a fork and place them on a gas range over medium high heat. Flip a few times using a pair of tongs so it cooks evenly on all sides. This will take about 20 minutes. The skin will get charred and wrinkly, and the flesh will be completely soft.
2. Char the peppers on the gas range as well. Make sure to turn them occasionally so they char and soften evenly. This will take about 15 minutes. The peppers are ready once the skin is charred and they are somewhat softer. You can turn on 2-4 ranges at the same time to char the eggplants and peppers simultaneously.
3. Place the charred eggplants and peppers in a large bowl and cover with a plastic wrap. Let them sit for 15 minutes to cool down and "sweat". Peel them using gloves or under running cold water. Then finely chop them using a kitchen knife.
4. In a large bowl, mix the chopped eggplant and peppers with the onion, tomato garlic and parsley.
5. Add in some of the olive oil followed by the sumac, lemon juice and salt. Taste and add more sumac and salt if needed.
6. Transfer to a serving plate and top with more olive oil. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Roasting instructions

If you don't have a gas range, you can roast the eggplants and bell peppers by following these instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pierce the eggplants using a fork. Brush the eggplants and the peppers with a bit of olive oil and place them on a baking sheet.
• Roast in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, rotating a couple of times, until the skin is wrinkly and the vegetables are cooked.
• Let cool in a bowl covered with plastic wrap and proceed to use in the salad as instructed.

Serving suggestions

This smoky eggplant salad makes a nice addition to any mezze platter alongside some hummus, fried halloumi and dolma. Even though it's called a salad, I love having it with some bread such as lavash, pita or Turkish pide bread as a light lunch.

You can also serve it as a side with dishes such as roasted chicken and vegetables, shish tawook, kofta kebab or beef shish kabob.

Frequently asked questions

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