Alicia’s Eggplant Escabeche from Argentina

This silky Argentinian eggplant escabeche is a family-famous starter or side from one of our favorite foodies Melina Adduci, who grew up in Buenos Aires and now lives in Los Angeles. Melina reports that this dish is a big hit back home at their family asados—Argentina’s traditional grill fests, famous for serving up endless-seeming, perfectly grilled cuts of carne at weekend gatherings. This recipe is from her mother Alicia Rovella. Gracias, Alicia!

“I love this eggplant dish. It is ideal as a side to any asado or meat dish: chicken, beer or pork,” says Melina. ”I always make my mom make it when I go home to Argentina, so I can always have some in the fridge. They’re a dinner party favorite, too!”

What makes this eggplant escabeche a standout and so memorably delicioso is its garlicky preparation in olive oil and parsley. We especially love that it can last up to a month in the refrigerator. That means it’s always ready to pull out at a moment’s notice, for your next asado or as a side with whatever you’re serving!

If you like her eggplant her mom’s escabeche, we invite you to check out more of her Familia Kitchen-fave recipes. Her Argentinian flan mixto with both dulce de leche and whipped cream is the winner of Familia Kitchen’s Your Favorite Dulce de Leche Recipe. No wonder Alicia’s recipe was voted número uno: when it comes to this flan, double toppings means double rico.

Melina comes from a large family of talented cocineros Argentinos. Thanks to Melina’s dad and his wife Gilda, we are lucky to have a receta for a meal many consider to be Argentina’s national dish. Traditional locro is a delicioso stew of hominy, porotos (beans) and squash.

Keeping it all in the family, Melina’s brother-in-law sent us his insider’s guide to making Argentinian asado. Cristian’s definitive how-to includes which cuts of beef to grill and in what order. He also shows us how to make his shortlist of asado-must-have sides, including: grilled provoleta (a delicioso melted round of cheese), cooked-over-the-coals papas al plomo or grilled potatoes, and morrón con huevo: egg-and-cheese-stuffed grilled red peppers.

Familia Kitchen’s Argentinian food friendship begins with Melina, of course. We are eternally grateful to her for sending us her recipe for authentic Argentinian chimichurri. Her chimi recipe, she reports, was a hit on the set of Deadliest Catch, one of many shows Melina has managed in her film and TV production career.

Ready to Try This Family-Famous Argentinian Eggplant Side?

Alicia’s Eggplant Escabeche from Argentina

Recipe by Alicia Rovella

5.0 from 2 votes

Cuisine: Argentinian

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

10

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 eggplants, large

• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1 bunch parsley, leaves only, finely chopped

• olive oil, as needed to make a paste

• salt, to taste

• pepper, to taste

Directions

• Wash, dry and cut the eggplants in thin rounds, about 1/4-inch thick each.
• Finely chop the garlic and parsley leaves, discarding the stems. Mix them in a bowl.
• Add enough olive oil, salt and pepper to create a soft, runny paste with all the ingredients. Set aside.
• Place the sliced eggplants in a nonstick pan set to medium high—without oil or grease. Flip after about 5 minutes, when the first side turns golden. Cook the second side.
• Once both sides are lightly browned, place the eggplant rounds into a bowl. Pour the garlic-parsley oil mixture to fully coat the eggplant.
• The eggplant is ready to eat, but gets even better with time. Store the mixture in a wide-mouth glass jar and place in the fridge. It can keep deliciously for 3 or 4 weeks.

Notes

• Melina recommends serving this as an appetizer over toasted baguette slices or your favorite crackers.