Best for: The easiest impressive appetizer on the grill — one eggplant, a handful of seasonings, and a loaf of good bread.
The whole eggplant goes on the grill until the skin blackens and the inside turns to cream. Then you open it like a baked potato, fluff the flesh with a fork, and season it right in its own skin — lemon juice, olive oil, flaky salt, and a spoonful of pesto — with parsley over the top and grilled bread for scooping. The skin becomes the serving dish. This one comes to us from Kaleb Wyse, who brought the recipe home from a cooking class in France and shared it on his TikTok; ours is the grill version of his appetizer.
Grill: Direct medium-high heat; 400–425°F with the lid closed, the eggplant grilled whole on the grates. Equipment: Grill, fork, knife, tongs.
Ingredients
Rest: 5 minutes. Total: 55 minutes.
Eggplant
- 1 large eggplant, about 1 1/2 lb
Seasoning and serving
- 2 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 to 3 teaspoons olive oil, plus more to finish
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky salt, plus more to finish
- 1 to 2 tablespoons pesto
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- Grilled baguette or rustic bread slices, for serving
Directions
Heat the grill to 400–425°F with the lid closed. Pierce the eggplant’s skin in several places with a fork so steam can escape while it cooks.
Set the whole eggplant directly on the grates, close the lid, and grill for 40 to 50 minutes, turning every 12 to 15 minutes, until the skin is blackened and wrinkled and the eggplant has slumped — completely soft when squeezed gently with tongs.
Move the eggplant to a plate and rest it for 5 minutes. While it rests, grill the bread slices for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until crisp at the edges.
Without cutting through the bottom skin, slice the eggplant open lengthwise and open it up like a baked potato, so the skin holds the flesh like a dish. Fluff the flesh gently with a fork, keeping it inside the skin.
Drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil over the flesh, sprinkle with the flaky salt, and spoon the pesto over the top. Mix everything into the flesh with the fork.
Finish with the parsley, a pinch more flaky salt, and another thread of olive oil. Serve at once, right in the skin, with the grilled bread for scooping.
Grilling tip: The eggplant is done when it looks ruined — collapsed, wrinkled, and soft all the way through is exactly what makes the inside creamy.
