- Eggplant
- Vegan Mains
- Vegetarian Mains
- Tomato Sauces
- Sandwiches
This vegan sandwich—both filled and dressed with different preparations of eggplant—is an unexpectedly delicious, self-referential treat.
By
J. Kenji López-Alt
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/kenji-lopez-alt-9e7ff3ba54e24328a853d774a05fd4b8.jpg "Fried Eggplant Sandwich With Eggplant Mayo Recipe (1)")
Updated November 23, 2023
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Why It Works
- Roasted eggplant is an excellent replacement for egg in the mayonnaise, forming a relatively stable emulsion while adding a spicy, bitter note to the sauce.
- A vegan, eggplant-based mayonnaise adds a creamy element to the sandwich in place of the traditional mozzarella.
- Briefly salting and then blotting the eggplant removes moisture, resulting in a browner, crispier sandwich filling.
If there's one thing I miss more than anything when it comes to being vegan, it's cheese. Taking a look at Ed's glorious looking eggplant parm sandwich from Rubirosa, my craving almost led me to cheat before I came to my senses that I had to stay vegan for a month.
I've still yet to find a good cheese alternative (the vegan stuff is pretty universally abhorrent and I haven't developed a taste for nutritional yeast as some have suggested), but legitimately tastyvegan mayonnaisewas a big step towards adding some creaminess back to my meals (avocados are another fine source of the texture).
So after discovering how delicious eggplant-based mayonnaise is (or more accurately, after my wife confirmed it to me), I put two and two together and decided to make a fried eggplant sandwich smothered in rich tomato sauce, and drizzled with a mayonnaise made out of itself.
Whoa, meta.
This is a sandwich even an omnivore can get into.
The eggplant slices get salted then breaded in breadcrumbs (Make sure you get a vegan brand! Some seasoned Italian crumbs and some brands of Japanese-style panko are not vegan). Instead of egg as the adhesive, I use a simply seasoned flour and water slurry. It cooks up almost crunchy-crisp and quite frankly makes me wonder why I bother with eggs in normal breading.
The sauce is a very basic marinara: really good olive oil, some garlic, some dried oregano, a pinch of pepper flakes, a can of whole tomatoes, and plenty of time. I like to layer the fried eggplant slices with the tomato sauce and eggplant mayo (made from roasted eggplant and oil), giving the whole construction a bit of a rest before eating so that the sauce can soak into the breading. You end up with bites that are delightfully crisp in parts and soft, rich, and bread-y in others.
And, since I happened to have a whole lot of pizza bianca around, why not use some for the sandwich?
The overall recipe is pretty involved, but you end up with more eggplant mayo than you need, and the stuff goes great on salads and sandwiches, or in dips.
Next question: can you make mayonnaise out of an eggplant sandwich to put on another eggplant sandwich?
January 2012
Recipe Details
Fried Eggplant Sandwich With Eggplant Mayo Recipe
Prep5 mins
Cook85 mins
Active45 mins
Total90 mins
Serves2 sandwiches
Ingredients
For the Eggplant Mayo (see note):
2 medium eggplants, about 1 1/2 pounds total
1 cup canola oil
1 clove garlic, grated on a microplane grater
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons Dijonor whole grain mustard
Kosher salt
For the Tomato Sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, grated on a microplane grater
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oreganoleaves
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeledtomatoes
For the Eggplant:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup water
2 cups vegan breadcrumbs
1 quart vegetable oilfor frying
4 slices pizza bianca, focaccia, or other sandwich bread, lightly toasted
Directions
For the Eggplant Mayonnaise: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Cut one eggplant in half lengthwise. Coat one half with 1 teaspoon oil, wrap tightly in foil, and roast until completely tender, about 1 hour (set remaining 1 1/2 eggplants aside). Once tender, scrape flesh from roasted eggplant and discard skin. Place flesh in a cup that just fits around the head of an immersion blender. Add garlic, lemon juice, and mustard. Carefully add remaining oil so that it floats on top of the eggplant. Place head of immersion blender against bottom of cup and turn it on. Slowly pull it out of the jar forming a thick, creamy emulsion as you go. Season to taste with salt and set eggplant mayonnaise aside.
For the Sauce: While the eggplant is roasting, heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add garlic, red pepper, and oregano and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and their juice. Crush tomatoes with a potato masher, a stiff whisk, or a hand blender. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until thick and rich, about 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
For the Fried Eggplant: Slice remaining 1 1/2 eggplants thinly lengthwise into about 16 slices. Season with salt and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Blot firmly with paper towels to compress and remove excess moisture.
Combine flour and water, adding more flour or water as necessary to achieve a mixture about the consistency of thick pancake batter. Season to taste with salt. Add breadcrumbs to a shallow pie plate. Bread the eggplant slices one at a time by dipping in flour mixture, wiping off excess against side of bowl, and transferring to the crumbs. Press the crumbs firmly onto the eggplant so they adhere.
Heat oil in a large wok or Dutch oven to 400°F (205°C) as measured on an instant-read thermometer. Fry eggplant slices in 2 to 3 batches, turning occasionally until golden brown and crisp on both sides. Transfer cooked slices to a large plate lined with paper towels and season with salt as soon as they emerge from the fryer.
To Assemble: Slice bread in half. Spread some eggplant mayo on bottom half of each sandwich and top with eggplant slices (use half of the slices divided evenly between the four sandwiches). Top with half of the tomato sauce, using a spoon to spread evenly. Top with more eggplant mayo. Add a second layer of fried eggplant and a second layer of tomato sauce. Finish with more eggplant mayo and close sandwiches. Serve hot.
Special Equipment
Immersion blender
Notes
This recipe makes more eggplant mayo than you need; See below for storage information.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Any leftover mayo can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to 1 week. After a night in the refrigerator, the mayo may start to lose some body and take on a slightly greasy appearance.Briefly re-blend before using for the creamiest consistency.
Read More
- Mexican Fried Eggplant Sandwich (Vegan Tortas and Pambazos)
- Crispy Fried Chickpea Cake and Slaw Sandwiches
- Fried Shiitake Po' Boys With New Orleans-Style Remoulade
- All-American Eggplant Parmesan
- Melanzane alla Parmigiana (Italian-Style Eggplant Parmesan)
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 1492 | Calories |
| 104g | Fat |
| 132g | Carbs |
| 18g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 2 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 1492 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 104g | 133% |
| Saturated Fat 9g | 44% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 1188mg | 52% |
| Total Carbohydrate 132g | 48% |
| Dietary Fiber 17g | 59% |
| Total Sugars 39g | |
| Protein 18g | |
| Vitamin C 34mg | 169% |
| Calcium 226mg | 17% |
| Iron 7mg | 38% |
| Potassium 1089mg | 23% |
| *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.)
