Don’t WORRY Eggplant caviar IS fish eggs FREE
I assume this eggplant dish gets it’s name from the tiny eggplant seeds that look caviar. It’s a very popular Russian/Ukrainian appetizer served on special occasions. It was one my favorite things about attending family gatherings as a kid.
I didn’t make this dish because there was a special occasion. I made it simply because I could. Why not throw a food party any day I please?
As my confidence grows in the kitchen I’ve recreated many of my favorite dishes (pizza, Caesar salad, calamari, sloppy joe) and the Paleo versions are never a disappointment.
I decided to make two versions of my favorite eggplant dips. One with a tomato base and the other with a mayo base.
The secret to making this dish a breeze is knowing how to roast the eggplant. I recently learned that oiling the eggplant skin, cutting it 4 times from top to bottom and cooking it at high heat, 400 degrees for 50 minutes, will make the skin peel right off.
Just line a baking pan with Non Stick Parchment Paper and put it in a preheated oven. Once cooled peel the skin off or cut the eggplant in half and scoop out the flesh.
You simply blend the flesh with the ingredients below to get a flavorful side dish or dip you can eat with eggs, raw veggies, Paleo crackers, slathered on chicken or in spoonfuls like I do.
I decided to use my eggplant bounty to make two dips: both eggplant caviar and the Russian version of babaganoush. These were the dishes my grandma made special for me when I was a kid. Nothing made her happier than seeing me eat.
Eggplant caviar
Ingredients
One large eggplant or 2 medium sized eggplants
1/4 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika for a magical smoked flavor (buy smoked paprika here)
2 heaping Tablespoons of tomato paste (or you can substitute a large fresh or roasted tomatoes for a chunkier texture)
1 to 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
Optional: 3 Tablespoons of roasted red pepper, chopped (this gives the dip some sweetness)
How to
Roast the eggplant buy oiling the skin, scoring it top to bottom 4 times and putting it on a parchment lined pan at 400 degrees for 50 minutes for a large eggplant. Check on smaller eggplants after 40 minutes. It’s done when a knife pierces through the eggplant flesh easily. It should have a buttery texture.
Peel off the skin or cut in half and scoop out the flesh.
Saute onions in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Add in garlic and saute for a minute or two. Add in the eggplant pulp, the tomato paste and lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (or substitute a whole tomato for the paste if you want a chunkier texture).
Chop up the roasted red pepper and add to the eggplant mixture on the stove.
Add salt and paprika and mix ingredients together with a spatula as you stir and cook. Simmer on medium low heat until the moisture evaporates. As the water evaporates the dish tastes stronger and stronger.
Taste it as it’s cooking and if you want more intense flavors cook down the liquid some more. I like my eggplant caviar to be thick and concentrated.
If you’re a spice person you can add some cayenne pepper or chopped hot peppers to this dish. It’s not traditional but I always customize my dishes to my taste.
Russian-style babaganoush
This dish is based on middle eastern babaganoush but uses mayo instead of tahini sauce. This dish is quick and easy with no cooking required.
Ingredients
Cooked eggplant pulp of 1 large eggplant or 2 smaller eggplants
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1 to 2 Tablespoons of homemade Paleo mayonnaise
**none of my recipes call for black pepper because I have never liked black pepper but if you are a pepper person, feel free to add a sprinkle of black pepper to this, and all, my recipes.
How to
Mix the ingredients in a blender or food processor and serve. This dish goes great with Paleo falafel.
Both versions of this salad/dip are served cold. If you can’t decide which one to make then split the recipes in half and make both like I did.
- One large eggplant or 2 medium sized eggplants
- ¼ onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of salt and
- 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
- 2 heaping Tablespoons of tomato paste (or you can substitute a large fresh or roasted tomatoes for a chunkier texture)
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- Optional: 3 Tablespoons of roasted red pepper, chopped (this gives the dip some sweetness)
- Roast the eggplant buy oiling the skin, scoring it top to bottom 4 times and putting it on a parchment lined pan at 400 degrees for 50 minutes for a large eggplant. Check on smaller eggplants after 40 minutes. It's done when a knife pierces through the eggplant flesh easily. It should have a buttery texture.
- Peel off the skin or cut in half and scoop out the flesh.
- Saute onions in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Add in garlic and saute for a minute or two. Add in the eggplant pulp, the tomato paste and lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (or substitute a whole tomato for the paste if you want a chunkier texture).
- Chop up the roasted red pepper and add to the eggplant mixture on the stove.
- Add salt and paprika and mix ingredients together with a spatula as you stir and cook. Simmer on medium low heat until the moisture evaporates. As the water evaporates the dish tastes stronger and stronger.
- Taste it as it's cooking and if you want more intense flavors cook down the liquid some more. I like my eggplant caviar to be thick and concentrated.
- If you're a spice person you can add some cayenne pepper or chopped hot peppers to this dish. It's not traditional but I always customize my dishes to my taste.
