Greek Roasted Eggplant Dip (Melitzanosalata)

Melitzanosalata is a delicious Greek roasted eggplant dip that makes a wonderful snack, appetizer, or part of a meze spread.

Whenever I go to a Greek restaurant I always order melitzano because I love it so much, and I like to see how different places make it. It makes a great appetizer or you can do as I like to do and pair it with other Greek dips to make a meal (such as tzatziki and taramasalata).

Don’t forget the kalamata olives and pita bread!

This dip is quite similar to baba ghanoush, but less creamy and lighter. This dip is a real crowd pleaser – my sister demands it regularly 🙂

And of course it has a lot of garlic. I think garlic makes everything better.

How to make melitzanosalata from scratch

• Start by roasting your eggplant (prick it first so it doesn’t leave you a nasty surprise in the oven!).
• Prep your other ingredients (add oil, vinegars, garlic, oregano, liquid smoke or smoky seasoning, and salt & pepper to a measuring cup).
• Let the eggplant cool until it’s easy to handle then peel it.
• Add the eggplant and oil mixture to a blender and blend until smooth.
• Refrigerate the eggplant dip for at least an hour prior to serving.

I hope you will give this roasted eggplant dip a try!

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions.

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Greek Roasted Eggplant Dip (Melitzanosalata)

By Natasha Bull

Melitzanosalata - a garlicky dip made of roasted eggplant.

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 50 minutes mins

Total: 55 minutes mins

Servings: 4

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Ingredients 

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• ▢ 1 large or 2 smaller eggplants
• ▢ 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 2-3 cloves minced/crushed garlic
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ A few drops liquid smoke optional
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste (I like to be generous with the pepper)

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Instructions 

• Pre-heat oven to 450F. Move rack close to the top of oven.
• Cover a baking sheet in tin foil (for easy clean-up).
• Poke holes all over the eggplant(s) so you don't have to clean up exploded eggplant from the oven (I've done this). Place the eggplant(s) on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, turning half way through.
• Measure out olive oil. For ease of clean-up I simply add all the other ingredients into the measuring cup after I put the oil in there.
• Once the eggplant(s) is done, I let it cool for at least 15-20 minutes on the baking sheet. You will notice that some of the bitter liquid will seep out. This is a good thing. Once it has cooled enough, I peel it by hand and roughly chop it. Discard the skins.
• Add eggplant and oil mixture to blender. Blend until smooth. Transfer info bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Notes

• Instead of liquid smoke, you can use a smoky spice blend if you have one on hand. I do recommend this step because it really gives this dip a wonderful smoky flavor that oven roasting just can't do. 
• I find that this dish tastes so much better the next day, so I typically make it the night before. All the flavors settle and the garlic intensifies.

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