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A small bowl of melitzanosalata dip sits beside some bread.

Melitzanosalata (Greek Eggplant Dip)

Byron
Melitzanosalata, "eggplant salad" in English, is a traditional Greek dish that is more of a dip or spread than a salad as we’re used to. It’s made from roasted or grilled eggplants, which lend a smoky quality to the dish. If you’ve ever tried baba ganoush, this may be ringing bells, and they are quite similar but there are some key differences — like melitzanosalata has a more tangy, stronger flavor.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Refrigerate time 2 hours
Total Time 3 hours 5 minutes
Course Appetizer, dip, dips and sauces
Cuisine Greek, Mediterranean
Servings 4 appetizer
Calories 137 kcal

Equipment

  • Oven and baking tray
  • Sharp knife and cutting board
  • Garlic crusher

Ingredients
  

  • 2 large eggplants
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 2 fl oz/60 ml olive oil
  • 1 lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 red onion finely diced
  • ½ cup fresh parsley finely chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For Serving

  • Pita bread or fresh baguette

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F/175°C.
  • Pierce each eggplant all over and place them on a lined baking sheet whole. Roast them for around 1 hour or until the eggplant is soft and squishy.
    2 large eggplants
  • Remove eggplants from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
  • Cut in half carefully holding them with tongs while you cut them, then allow to cool completely.
  • Use a spoon to scrape the eggplant flesh from the skin. Discard the skin and add the flesh to a mixing bowl with the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar. Mash all your ingredients together with a fork.
    2 cloves of garlic, 2 fl oz/60 ml olive oil, 1 lemon, 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • Add the red onion and parsley and stir them in with the fork.
    1/4 red onion, ½ cup fresh parsley
  • Cover the mixture and place it in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours so all the flavors mingle.
  • Test before serving and add salt and pepper to taste.
    Pita bread or fresh baguette, Salt and pepper

Video

Notes

Cooking Notes

  • Make sure your eggplants are cooked through before removing them from the oven. If they’re particularly large they will need more than 1 hour but don’t be tempted to speed up the process by increasing the heat. Instead, add an extra 10 or 20 minutes. 
  • Melitzanosalata is traditionally quite chunky and not blended but that doesn’t mean you can’t throw it all in the food processor to get a smooth dip if that’s what you prefer. 
  • When you taste your dip after mixing all the ingredients together, you’ll notice it’s flavorsome already. But, it does pay off to leave it in the fridge for at least a couple of hours before serving it.  
  • You may not even need to add salt or pepper to your dip. Go with the less is more approach with this recipe to begin with and let the other flavors shine through. 
Keyword dips, Eggplant, Greek mezze, meltzanosalada, mezze, Smoky Eggplant