Easiest Eggplant Piccata

If you love lemony piccata sauce and eggplant, then this easy eggplant piccata is an ideal recipe mash-up for you!

Eggplant, also referred to as aubergine, isn't typically paired with a lemony piccata sauce, much like chicken, but it's a combination that works and is so tasty. The piccata sauce brightens the sweet, tender eggplant, and the eggplant absorbs the tangy buttery-lemon sauce. It's a delicious side dish that's quick and easy to prepare.

This recipe was inspired by Caroline Lange at Bon Appétit, who developed a tangy piccata sauce for roasted winter veggies. We slightly adapted her piccata recipe, which includes butter, minced garlic, freshly-squeezed lemon juice, capers and chicken or vegetable broth. It's an acidic and savory sauce that pairs well with a variety of veggies like cauliflower, broccoli or squash.

We love pairing the piccata sauce with Japanese or Chinese eggplant, which we broil until deliciously tender and charred. Broiling is one of the quickest and easiest ways to prepare eggplant. Plus, with broiling, you don't need to "sweat" the eggplant before going in the oven, which saves precious time!

From start the finish, this recipe can be done in 15 or so minutes. We recommend doubling it for a larger serving size as it's easy to gobble up!

Key Ingredients

Japanese or Chinese eggplant: These are longer, slender eggplants with a thinner, darker skin. Japanese eggplants tend to be sweeter, while Chinese eggplants are a little milder in flavor. You can find these at many larger or specialty grocer stores.

Butter: We just use a few tablespoons of butter to keep the calories lower. Be sure to get unsalted butter as this dish could become too salty.

Garlic: We use a few cloves of minced garlic, but you can add more (or less) if you like.

Lemon juice: Freshly-squeezed lemon juice is a must. We use just 1 tablespoon and that creates enough tang for us. If you want less tang, start with ½ tablespoon and add more to taste. You can always add more lemon as desired.

Capers: We use a tablespoon of roughly chopped capers (as we love capers), but you could start with ½ tablespoon and add more to your level of liking.

Reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth: We recommend using reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth to prevent this dish from becoming too salty.

Parsley: Dishes with piccata are typically topped with chopped parsley, which adds a bright herby flavor.

How to Make

STEP 1: Pre-heat the broiler to high and place top rack 6 inches under the heat source. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Grease the foil with avocado oil to prevent eggplant from sticking. Rinse eggplant and slice off ends. Cut eggplant lengthwise into ½- to ¾-inch thick slices. Cut each slice in half so it's only several inches long. Place eggplant slices on rimmed baking sheet and lightly spread avocado oil over slices and lightly season with salt.

STEP 2: Before popping the eggplant under the broiler, you'll first prepare the piccata sauce. In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt butter and add minced garlic and briefly sauté for 30 seconds or less. until fragrant. Immediately add lemon juice, capers and broth. Turn down temperature to low and simmer for about 5 minutes (while eggplant broils). If needed, light season with salt to taste.

STEP 3: Broil eggplant slices for about 3 to 4 minutes per side, until tender and lightly charred. Be careful not to burn them.

STEP 4: When done, use tongs to remove eggplant from pan and place on a serving plate. Drizzle piccata sauce over broiled eggplant and top with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Expert Tips

Follow these expert tips for best results.

• Get a medium-size Japanese or Chinese eggplant, so you can slice into several ½-thick or slightly thicker slices.
• Do not cut eggplant slices less than ½-inch thick or else they will become too thin for broiling.
• Lightly brush the eggplant with avocado oil. If you add too much, it's more likely to turn mushy.
• Be sure to grease aluminum-foil-lined baking sheet with avocado oil to prevent eggplant from sticking.
• Broil until lightly charred, then flip. It's best to stay close to the oven and keep an eye on eggplant as you don't want it to become overdone or burnt.
• Be careful when salting this dish, as you don't want it to be too salty.

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