Spanish Eggplant Salad

This smoky, creamy, tangy delight is a real surprise of flavour and texture. An amazing little vegetable dish to have at your disposal. Learn how to make this simple little Spanish salad with my recipe.

Spain gives up some of the tastiest dishes on the planet. I've always been in love with Spanish food - simple at its core and supercharged with flavour. Some of my most favourite things to eat are from this part of the World. I remember many years ago (too many to remember), while on a trip to Spain I ate this dish at a small, unassuming taverna one evening. I also consumed 3 extra-large glasses of local cider and lost all memory of the evening as a consequence.

I did remember to return and sample the eggplant salad again (not the cider thankfully) a few years later and this time had the foresight to make some notes as to how to recreate the dish at home. My version is pretty close to the original - a sweet, smoky and silky salad that is perfect alongside crusty bread. I usually eat it on its own as an appetiser or tapas with bread and then if i'm feeling like it, I may also have a main course. I'll most certainly always avoid a cider...

What's Ahead?

The smokiness comes not from charring the eggplant like you would for a baba ghanoush, but from the wonder ingredient, Spanish smoked paprika. A marvellous product that gives any dish a smack of España, with the tiniest amount. 1 teaspoon takes you from OK to Olé! I also opted to use in the oven instead of grill to create a roasted eggplant salad. The flavours are on point!

You'll see from the recipe that it's a simple dish to put together and the finished salad is part way between a ratatouille and a baba ghanoush. It's absolutely intoxicating! Sweet, tart, silky, chunky and lastly smoky

Stuff You'll Need

This salad is pretty simple to put together, with only a few 'must-use' items for that authentic Spanish flavour. Here are the key ingredients...

• Eggplant - we'll be cooking this until it turns into a creamy, silky texture with a little texture too.
• Spanish smoked paprika - Spanish paprika is wonderfully smoky with a unique flavour - sweet and earthy with the most amazing smoky flavour. Hunt out a variety of your liking. There's often a sweet (dulce) and spicy (picante) version - the sweet is best for this recipe but the spicy is fine too if you want a little heat and smoke.
• Garlic and onion - add a little backbone to the salad.
• Tomatoes - for a little tart sweetness.
• Oregano - my favourite herb for this salad brings its own sweet herbal fragrance
• Sherry vinegar - the last Spanish addition brings a much needed tart brightness
• Extra virgin olive oil - a generous amount creates the rich, silky texture.

Step by Step

Making the salad is simple. In the main recipe I suggest salting and draining the eggplant of excess water which I'll do sometimes, but mostly I'll just skip this step and go straight to baking the eggplant. You can choose to do this or follow the full recipe - the results are similar to be honest.

1. Step 1 - Peel and cut the eggplant into chunks and bake in the oven with a little oil for 20 minutes. I like to bake rather than just fry as it avoids the salad feeling greasy.
2. Step 2 - Add some olive oil to a large frying pan over a moderate heat. Add the onion and garlic and fry for abour 6 minutes until soft and golden.
3. Step 3 - Add the roasted eggplant to the pan along with the crushed tomato and paprika and stir well. Cook for around 5 minutes, adding around 1/2 cup water to keep it from drying out too much.
4. Step 4 - Remove from the heat and stir in the sherry vinegar and half of the oregano. Check for seasoning and add a little salt if you think it needs it.
5. Step 5 - Decant to a platter and leave to come to room temperature. Drizzle generously with more extra virgin olive oil and a few sprinkles of fresh oregano.

Storage Suggestions

• Make ahead - This salad is a great dish to make before hand. It stays fresh in the fridge for 5-6 days. I'll often put it into an airtight container if I make beforehand (without adding the last bit of olive oil) and then decant to a platter and let it come to room temperature for the best flavour. Finally, I'll drizzle over the oil and add the oregano as usual.
• Leftovers - Leftovers can be kept for 5-6 days in the fridge well covered or in an airtight container.
• Freezing - I froze it once and I honestly wouldn't recommend as it was a little watery.

Ready to get cooking?

This is a salad/dip that I've been making for 20+ years. It immediately transports me to Spain when I was of an age when 3 litres of strong Spanish cider seemed like a good idea. Come to think of it, I don't think I've changed THAT much. Hope you enjoy the recipe!

More Spanish recipes

If you like tapas or Spanish food in general, then you should try some more of my best Spanish recipes.

• Romesco Sauce with Fish
• Spanish Chicken
• Spanish Bean & Chorizo Stew
• Chorizo Tapas with Fino Sherry
• Pisto Manchego
• Spanish Roasted Red Pepper Salad
• Chorizo & Prawns in Fino Sherry
• Spanish Jamón Croquetas
• Asparagus tapas with smoked alioli
• Pork Ribs with Sherry & Garlic
• Pinchos Morunos

This recipe uses affiliations and may receive a commission based on your activity (link clicks). Learn more.