Panfried Breaded Eggplant
Ingredients
- 4 small or 2 large eggplant
- Salt
- 3 eggs
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups bread crumbs
- Vegetable or olive oil as needed for frying
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish
- 2 lemons, quartered, for serving
Directions
- Trim off the stem end from the eggplant and cut it crosswise into slices 1/2 inch thick.
- Let the eggplant rest for at least 20 minutes and up to 1 hour.
- Heat the oven to 200 F.
- Beat the eggs with some salt and pepper in a bowl or pie plate.
- Put the flour and bread crumbs on separate plates, with the eggs in between them.
- Have a baking sheet and several rectangles of wax or parchment paper ready.
- Rinse and dry the eggplant well with paper towels.
- Coat a slice in the flour, dip in the egg, then coat in the bread crumbs to get a thin, even layer of each coating; shake off any excess.
- Spread the eggplant on the baking sheet in a single layer, top with wax or parchment paper, and repeat with the remaining slices.
- Transfer the pan to chill in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes and up to 3 hours.
- Put a skillet over medium heat and pour in enough oil to come 1/2 inch up the sides.
- While the oil heats, line a plate with paper towels.
- The oil is ready when a pinch of flour sizzles immediately.
- Put a few of the eggplant slices in the hot oil without crowding the pan.
- When the bottoms turn brown, after 2 to 3 minutes, turn them over and cook the other side for 2 to 3 minutes, adjusting the heat to keep the oil sputtering without smoking or burning the eggplant.
- As each piece is done, put it on the paper towels to drain, turning them if the tops need blotting too.
- Transfer them to an ovenproof platter and keep them warm in the oven while finishing cooking the remaining eggplant.
- In between batches, add more oil to maintain a depth of 1/2 inch and let it heat up a bit.
- When all the pieces are cooked, garnish with the parsley and serve with the lemon wedges.