Eggplant with Red Pepper Relish is the New Summer Favorite!

Eggplant is one of those controversial vegetables that people either love or hate. I think a large part of why it gets such a bad rap is that it's a fairly difficult vegetable to work with. Without the right technique it can end up tough, spongy and dry, or watery and flavorless, or just plain greasy. I've shared a few of my favorite eggplant dishes here before, like Baba Ghanoush and Eggplant Dengaku, but today I wanted to share a technique for making a salad inspired by Eggplant Caponata.

While I love a rich, flavorful traditional Caponata, it can be a bit of work, and isn't quite as light as I'd like during the warmer months of the year. This salad still includes loads of creamy pan-fried eggplant, but I've topped them with a fresh relish made of red bell peppers, sweet onions and tomato. Aside from providing a stunning juxtaposition of colors, the relish is crisp, sweet and sour which brings an enjoyable contrast in taste and texture to this dish.

To keep the relish for getting watery, I borrowed a technique I developed for my pico de gallo recipe and added a room temperature thickening agent, in this case, chia seeds. They provide just enough viscosity for the relish, and you don't even need to cook it!

While you can serve this right away, I like to let the flavors meld overnight in the fridge.