I have always loved the Romanian aubergine salad, which was made so often by my mother and my grandmother. The aubergine salad is such a staple of the Romanian cuisine, and it is deep embedded into every local’s mind. It is actually the recipe that I cook most often that reminds me of home. I don’t think I will ever be able to go more than a month without making the aubergine salad.
I am not a fan of aubergines, but when they are cooked in this particular salad, I cannot get enough of them. This recipe uses homemade mayo, but if you can’t be fussed with making it yourself, you can always use a good quality store bought one.
The secret of a good aubergine salad is in how you roast the vegetables. For the best smoky taste, I advise you to roast the aubergines over an open fire, preferably on a coals or wood barbecue.
Jump to RecipeThe Ingredients for the Romanian Aubergine Salad
The Romanian aubergine salad recipe uses very few ingredients: aubergines, onions, mayonnaise, and salt.
For uniform roasting, try to pick slim and long aubergines, rather than short and fat. This is a trick that my grandma taught me, and always insisted that I pay attention to, when I used to go to the farmers market.
Now, Romanian moms would disagree of the use of mayo in this recipe – because the traditional recipe uses oil, egg yolks and lemon juice that you mix until they becomes mayonnaise. And that’s how my grandma used to make it, when I was growing up and shop bought mayo was not a thing. However, I think that if you use shop bought quality mayonnaise the difference in taste is not noticeable. So I don’t complicate this recipe with making my own mayo, I just buy it ready made.
How to Make Romanian Aubergine Salad
Every time I fire up the barbecue in my garden, I make sure to have a few aubergines available to roast over the open flames, before the coals are ready for the meat. Roasted aubergines can be frozen after they have been cleaned and prepared, for when you crave this salad but are not having a barbecue.
You can of course roast the aubergines in the oven as well, for up to one hour. You won’t get that smoky layer of flavour using this method, but you will avoid the smoke and the need for cleaning the barbecue afterwards.
Don’t forget to prod the aubergines before putting them on the grill or in the oven, so they don’t explode. The last thing you want is aubergine flesh all over your oven.
Once the aubergines are roasted (it will take around 45-60 minutes depending on how big they are), taken them out and clean them straight away. They will be very hot, so be careful not to burn your fingers. Slice the top end, and then remove the burned skin. Put the roasted flesh of the aubergines in a colander and let them drain for at least a couple of hours. The liquid inside the aubergines is very bitter and if you don’t drain it the salad will taste awful.
In the past, the aubergines used to be chopped with a wooden knife, as the metal oxidizes them. However, these days most knives are made from stainless steel, so it doesn’t matter that much what you use to chop the aubergines.
Once all the liquid has drained from the aubergines, put them on a wooden board and chop them finely. Mix them with the finely chopped onions, a couple of spoons of mayo, and salt to taste.
I like to keep the aubergine salad in the fridge for a few hours before serving as it tastes so much better cold.
How to the Serve Romanian Aubergine Salad
The Romanian aubergine salad is usually served directly from the bowl, which is placed in the middle of the table. It is eaten with bread, as a spread. I like to sprinkle tomatoes over it as well.
My grandma used to decorate the aubergine salad by making small dents in it with a fork. I fail miserably at this, so I serve it as it is, from a nice bowl.
You can keep the aubergine salad in the fridge, for 2-3 days.
Romanian Aubergine Salad
Ingredients
- 3-4 thin and long aubergines
- 1 small onion
- 2-3 tbsp good quality mayonnaise
- salt
Instructions
- Grill or bake the aubergines until the skin is charred. Clean them straight away whilst they are still hot, wearing gloves so you don't burn your fingers
- Drain the flesh of the aubergines in a sieve, over a bowl, for at least two hours, to drain the bitter liquid inside.
- Finely dice a small onion
- Chop the flesh of the aubergines with a stainless steel knife until it is fully mashed.
- Add the chopped aubergines into a bowl and mix with the onions, mayo, and salt.
- Serve cold, on slices of bread.
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Hello Joanna,
Do you have a recipe for vinete without mayonnaise as then it is simply babaganush. My mother never had mayonnaise in her kitchen nor did she make her own. I only tasted it after I was married.
My aunt made salata de boeuf but didn’t put meat in it. The rest of your ingredients were the same, I remember the distinct taste of mustard
Thanks for sharing your recipes.
Hi Susanna, my mom and grandma always put mayo in the vinete – but back then they made it at home as it wasn’t available ready made in the shops, like now. When I want a lighter eggplant salad I sometimes add yogurt instead of mayo. 🙂 For the boeuf salad without meat – we call it A la Rousse salad. I will post the recipe for it in the next year. Thank you for following my recipes 🙂
Hi, Susanna, some people use oil instead of mayonnaise and it tastes delicious too. We did our own mayonnaise at home and that’s how I eat salata de vinete. About the salata de boeuf, you can leave the meat out. If you put meat though, you can use chicken instead of beef if you like