Vegetarian Recipe: Russian Eggplant Caviar

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Every week on the Good Food Blog we celebrate Meatless Monday by sharing a vegetarian recipe from our archives.

Sharon Hudgins is the author of The Other Side of Russia: A Slice of Life in Siberia and the Russian Far East, published by Texas A&M University Press.  She first shared this recipe for Russian Eggplant Caviar on October 30, 2004.

Photo: postbear on flickr

Russian Eggplant Caviar (Baklazhannaia Ikra)
Yield: 6 servings as an appetizer/dip, 12 servings as a stuffing for medium-size tomatoes.

  • 2 large eggplants (2 pounds total)
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1 medium onion (or 5 to 6 small green onions, white and tender green parts), finely chopped
  • 2 large garlic cloves, finely minced or put through a garlic press
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • Garnish: Chopped fresh parsley
  1. Preheat the oven to 375–F. Wash the eggplants and pierce them with a fork in several places. Place the eggplants on a baking sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes (depending on their size), until they are very tender when pierced with a knife into the center. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
  2. While the eggplants are cooling, heat the olive oil in a small skillet and saute the chopped onion until golden but not browned. Turn off the heat and stir in the garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, oregano, and cayenne.
  3. Cut the eggplants in half and scoop out the pulp — seeds and liquid, too — onto a cutting board. Coarsely chop the eggplant pulp and transfer it to a bowl. Scrape all the onions and seasoned oil out of the skillet and stir them into the eggplant. Mash the mixture together with a large fork or an old-fashioned potato masher, until the eggplant has absorbed the oil but is still somewhat chunky (not pureed). Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight, to let the flavors meld.
  4. Taste again before serving and add more black pepper, if desired.
  5. Garnish the top with chopped fresh parsley. Serve as a dip or spread for toasted triangles of yeasty flatbread, or as an accompaniment to grilled meats. Eggplant caviar also makes a delicious stuffing for hollowed-out tomatoes. Garnish the top of each stuffed tomato with chopped fresh parsley.