Grilled Japanese Eggplant with Tahini Sauce

Tender long Japanese eggplants quickly grilled, served with sesame tahini sauce.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated November 16, 2022
Elise Bauer
Japanese Eggplant with Tahini Sauce
Elise Bauer

Fellow gardeners, do you ever plant something because you like the look of it, but grow more than you know what to do with? That's been my relationship to the Japanese eggplants in my garden.

I love to grow them. They hide out trellised against a fence behind my garden bed. They're a beautiful deep shade of purple, long and elegant.

Japanese Eggplant in Garden
Elise Bauer

But unlike tomatoes, you can't just chop them up and toss them in a salad. Eggplants need to be cooked.

Japanese or Asian eggplants are more delicate than their Italian globe brethren. They cook faster, the peels are thinner, and the cooked flesh is creamier.

Four Japanese Eggplant
Elise Bauer

An easy way to cook this type of eggplant is to grill it, either on a grill or in a grill pan, with high, searing heat.

Don't be afraid of those char marks! They're delicious. The best part.

These grilled eggplant we are serving with a creamy sesame tahini sauce, which works beautifully with the eggplant (and would go great with other veggies as well.)

I have only a few recipes for my garden Japanese eggplants and am always looking for more. So if you have any ideas, please let me know about them in the comments!

Grilled Japanese Eggplant with Tahini Sauce

Prep Time 25 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Servings 3 to 4 servings

If you don't have a grill, you can use a grill pan or a cast iron pan on the stove top. Just spread some oil over the bottom of the pan so the eggplants don't stick, heat on high heat, follow the recipe for preparing the eggplants, and "grill" the eggplants on the hot pan.

Ingredients

  • 4 Japanese eggplants (about 1 1/4 pounds total)

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Tahini sauce:

  • 1/4 cup roasted sesame tahini

  • 1/4 cup water

  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic

  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley

  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • Thai basil, for garnish

Method

  1. Prep, score, and salt the eggplants:

    Slice the Japanese eggplants in half, lengthwise. Using a sharp paring knife, score the inside surface of the eggplants in a cross hatch pattern, 1/2 inch deep.

    Lay in a tray and sprinkle the exposed, scored side with salt. Let sit at least 20 minutes (or up to an hour or more) while the grill is coming to temperature and while you make the tahini sauce. The salt will help draw out excess moisture from the eggplants.

    prepped scored salted japanese eggplant
    Elise Bauer
  2. Prepare your grill for high, direct heat:

    While the grill is heating, prepare the tahini sauce.

  3. Prepare the tahini sauce:

    If you have a mini chopper, place all of the tahini sauce ingredients in it and pulse until smooth. If you don't have a mini chopper, mince the garlic and parsley very very fine, and then use a fork or a small whisk to whisk all of the ingredients together.

    (You can also use a mortar and pestle to grind the garlic with the salt and sugar until it is a smooth paste, then whisk together all of the ingredients.)

  4. Grill the eggplants:

    When your grill is ready and hot, pat the eggplants dry with a paper towel, and brush the insides with olive oil. Place the eggplant halves cut-side down on the hot grill. Press them down a little so they make good contact with the grill. Grill on the cut side until well browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.

    When they are well seared on one side, flip them over and cook on the other side until the eggplants are cooked all the way through, another couple minutes or so. Brush again with a little olive oil.

    grill japanese eggplant cut side down over charcoal
    Elise Bauer
    grill Japanese eggplant
    Elise Bauer
  5. Serve:

    Remove the grilled eggplants from the grill, place on a plate and serve with tahini sauce. Garnish with Thai basil.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
233 Calories
18g Fat
17g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 3 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories 233
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 24%
Saturated Fat 3g 13%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 482mg 21%
Total Carbohydrate 17g 6%
Dietary Fiber 4g 16%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 5mg 26%
Calcium 35mg 3%
Iron 1mg 6%
Potassium 261mg 6%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.