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Greek

Melitzanosalata (Greek smoky aubergine dip)

Vegetarian

Μελιτζανοσαλάτα · melitzanosaláta

Charred aubergine flesh chopped with garlic, red wine vinegar, olive oil and parsley into a smoky, tangy, rough-textured dip. Unlike baba ghanoush there is no tahini: the olive oil and vinegar carry it.

Melitzanosalata (Greek smoky aubergine dip) is a Greek dip from Greece, ready in about 1 hour 10 minutes and made with eggplant, wine vinegar and olive oil. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
25 min
Rest
30 min
Total
1 h 10 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
122

Ingredients

6 meze servings (about 100 g)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Char the pricked aubergines (opens in a new tab) over a gas flame, on a barbecue or under the grill at its highest setting, turning every few minutes with tongs (opens in a new tab), until the skins are black and the flesh is completely soft: 20–25 minutes.

    Food safety: Charring over a gas flame spits hot juice; use long tongs, keep a window open and never leave the flame unattended.

    Food cooking over a grill
    How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Slit them open and lay them in a colander (opens in a new tab) for 15 minutes to cool and drain off the bitter juices. Scoop out the flesh, discarding skin and any large seed clusters; squeeze it gently in your hands.

    Liquid being strained through a sieve
    How it looks · Photo: Katerina Holmes on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Chop the flesh on a board with a knife into a coarse, stringy mash.

    Potatoes being mashed
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    In a bowl, mix the garlic (opens in a new tab), grated onion, vinegar, lemon juice (opens in a new tab), salt and pepper (opens in a new tab). Add the aubergine (opens in a new tab) and beat with a fork while pouring in the olive oil (opens in a new tab) in a thin stream, as if making a loose mayonnaise, until the dip is creamy and holds together. Stir in the parsley (opens in a new tab) and the tomato (opens in a new tab), if using.

  5. Step 5

    Taste and adjust the vinegar and salt; it should be distinctly tangy. Chill for 30 minutes and serve topped with olives (opens in a new tab) and a drizzle of oil.

    • 1 min

About this dish

Origin
Greece · Well documentedA standard Greek meze; regional versions add grated onion, tomato, walnuts or a little feta. The basic garlic-vinegar-olive oil formula here is the most widely documented.Also popular in CyprusMore food from Greece
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Dips & spreads · Appetizers & starters
Cooking method
Grilled, Smoked, No-cook
Taste
smoky, tangy, garlicky, herby
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Mediterranean-style · Keto-style · Low-carb · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Budget-friendly
Cook more with
Eggplant · Wine vinegar · Garlic · Lemon juice · Parsley
Techniques
Grilling · Broiling · Smoking · Charcoal grilling

Allergens

  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom wine vinegar

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

122 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 100 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 5%
  • Carbohydrate 30%
  • Fat 65%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy122 kcal122 kcal
Protein1.6 g1.6 g
Carbohydrate9.6 g9.6 g
Net carbohydrate5 g5 g
Sugars5.4 g5.4 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre4.6 g4.6 g
Fat9.4 g9.4 g
Saturated fat1.3 g1.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium263 mg263 mg
Salt equivalent0.7 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
363 mg
Calcium
19 mg
Iron
0.5 mg
Magnesium
23 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
9 µg
Vitamin C
7 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
36 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: red onion, tomato, black olives.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Squeezing the drained flesh removes water that would otherwise dilute the dressing.
  • Make it a few hours ahead; the garlic and vinegar flavour it as it rests.

Common mistakes

  • Using a food processor, which makes it gluey and pale.
  • Leaving black bits of skin in the flesh; a few specks are fine, flakes taste burnt.

Serve with

  • With bread, olives and other meze such as tzatziki and taramasalata.
  • Beside grilled meat, keftedes or souvlaki.

Food safety

  • Charring over a gas flame spits hot juice; use long tongs, keep a window open and never leave the flame unattended.

Storage

  • Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 3 days.

Variations

  • With walnuts (Greece): In northern Greece chopped walnuts are stirred in for body.
  • With feta: Crumble in 50 g feta for a creamier, saltier dip.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Goes with

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Eggplant, 2 large, left whole and pricked a few times900 g
  • Lemon juice, freshly squeezed15 ml · 16 g
  • Tomato, deseeded and finely diced (optional)80 g
  • Black olives, Kalamata, to garnish (optional)20 g
Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

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