Do you need to salt aubergines before cooking?

Many aubergine recipes want you to salt before cooking to reduce the bitterness and pull liquid, but it is not necessary. As a rule, you can salt the aubergine when you want it to be creamy and tender, but when you want it to keep its shape and firm texture, there is no need to salt it before cooking. Note that aubergines have a mild flavour, so for most recipes, you probably want to season with salt, curry, chilli, or other flavours as you prepare the dish, whether you pre-salt the aubergines or not.

Do you peel aubergines before cooking?

You can eat the skin of an aubergine, so you do not have to peel them before use – especially not if you make them like these baked aubergines, in which the skin helps keep in all the juicy, soft, fleshy inside of the vegetable. However, the skin can be bitter, especially in very ripened aubergines, so in some cases, you might want to peel them.

How long do you bake aubergines?

The baking time depends on shapes and sizes. You can slice them in half, cut them into rounds, or cube them. Slices or cubes should bake for about 25-35 minutes, while whole or halved aubergines may take up to 40-45 minutes. They are done when they are tender, caramelised around the edges, and the flesh is soft. If you bake them too long, they can become overly mushy and lose their shape. If underbaked, they will be tough and slightly bitter.

Baked aubergines with feta and pomegranate

50 mins cooking time

Cook, you know impressive meals doesn’t have to be complicated. Proves the point with this easy baked aubergine recipe with feta and pomegranate. It is bursting with flavours from mild aubergine, spicy harissa paste, salty feta, and juicy pomegranate. Bake with a little Lurpak®, until crispy and caramelised on the outside and soft and juicy on the inside. A delicious meal you can serve as a main course or as a sublime side dish.

Baked aubergines with feta and pomegranate

50 mins cooking time

Method

Preheat your oven to 220C/200C fan/gas mark 7.

In a small bowl, mix Lurpak® Plant Based and harissa paste. Set aside.

Cut aubergines in half lengthways and score the flesh in a criss-cross pattern. Place on a large baking tray.

Rub the harissa Lurpak® Plant Based over the flesh of the aubergines, making sure to get into the cuts.

Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Place in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the flesh is cooked and tender.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle each half of the aubergine with feta, pomegranate seeds, and chopped coriander.

Questions about baked aubergines

Baked aubergines are straightforward, but you can read below to find out more about the meaty, soft, and beautiful vegetables and how to turn them into delicious oven-baked aubergines.

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Make delicious oven-baked aubergines with spicy harissa

The perfect dinner is easy and flavourful, and these baked aubergines check all the boxes. Elevate your meal plan with this recipe in your repertoire, giving you the softness and delicious flavours of baked aubergine, creamy and salty feta, and sweet and juicy pomegranate. Sprinkle with coriander before serving for a bright green and aromatic touch.

The aubergine caramelises perfectly in the oven, allowing the spicy harissa and mild Lurpak® Plant Based to blend with and melt into the scored flesh.

Try some other baked goods with our recipe for roasted cauliflower steak, or explore different ways to use Lurpak® Plant Based, for example, in a pumpkin risotto or a frittata with broccoli and red onion.

Rustle up a delicious meal with feta and pomegranate

For something as rich and dense as baked aubergines, you need a light, fresh counterbalance. In this case, feta and pomegranate will do the trick. Enjoy this combination of salty and fruity, creamy and crunchy, and discover how it adds just what the dish needs to be complex in both flavour and texture. Added to the aubergine fresh from the oven, the cheese softens slightly, and the pomegranate seeds cool everything down with its juicy freshness.

A sweet and salty match made in heaven

Explore the well-known combination of feta and aubergine, which is loved for its delicious flavour and texture balance. Feta is salty and soft, while aubergine is mild and slightly sweet, especially when baked with Lurpak® Plant Based. Pomegranate is both a little sweet and tart with a crunchy texture, giving the recipe a slight crunch to balance the soft, rich aubergine. Crown the flavours the best way possible with a touch of spicy and smoky notes from harissa paste. It will feel like an explosion in your mouth, giving you everything you need, from sweet to salty.

Experiment with the recipe

Strap on your apron and immerse yourself in some exciting experiments. Stick with the recipe, but shake it up by making filled aubergines with the same fresh feta and pomegranate topping. Remove the aubergine flesh from the shell, cut it into small cubes and mix with other fillings such as meat, onion, lentils, panko breadcrumbs, or the like. Fry in olive oil in a frying pan and put it back into the shells to bake for 15-20 minutes or until the aubergine cubes are soft and tender. Sprinkle with feta and pomegranate, and enjoy.

You can also keep the roasted aubergines as they are, but experiment with the toppings. Instead of or in addition to pomegranate seeds, drizzle with pomegranate molasses. Substitute coriander for parsley, mint, or basil, or mix paprika, tahini, minced garlic, or ground cinnamon into the harissa paste to add either smoky, nutty, pungent, or sweetly spiced notes to the mix.

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Lurpak® Plant Based

Lurpak® Plant based offers all the great taste and quality that you expect from Lurpak® but in a plant based product. Whether you’re cooking, baking or spreading… whatever you think about plants, think again! Crush expectations with new Lurpak® Plant Based.

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