Skip to main content
Bon Appétit

Harissa-Roasted Eggplant With Fried Capers

4.5

(56)

Harrisa roasted eggplant recipe
Photo by Emma Fishman, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Sophie Strangio

Think of capers as plant-based anchovies—they’re salty with a unique acidity, and are the secret weapon in this savory-sweet roasted eggplant. Capers infiltrate every layer of this dish: They’re chopped and mixed into a spicy harissa rub for the eggplant; mixed with cherry preserves for a salty-meets-sweet dressing; and roasted for a crispy-crunchy topping that adds pops of flavor.

All products featured on Bon Appétit are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through the retail links below, we earn an affiliate commission.

What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 Servings

Ingredients

6

garlic cloves

⅓

cup harissa paste, preferably hot

6

Tbsp. drained capers, divided

¾

cup plus 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

4

medium Japanese eggplants or 2 large globe eggplants (about 2 lb.), halved lengthwise

2

Tbsp. cherry or other fruit preserves

1

cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

3

Tbsp. coarsely chopped dill

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 425°. Blend garlic, harissa, 4 Tbsp. capers, and ¾ cup oil in a blender until a loose paste forms (a few chunkier pieces are okay); season with salt and pepper. (Alternatively, finely chop garlic and capers and mix well with harissa and oil in a small bowl.) Transfer ¼ cup paste to a small bowl and set aside.

    Step 2

    Score cut sides of eggplant flesh in a crosshatch pattern, being sure to stop before cutting through the skin below. Rub 1 Tbsp. paste remaining in blender evenly over each cut side of eggplant so entire surface is covered. Toss remaining 2 Tbsp. capers and 1 Tbsp. oil in a small bowl until capers are coated. Arrange eggplant, cut side up, on a rimmed baking sheet, leaving a little room on one side for capers; season with salt and pepper. Spread out capers in oil in a single layer in reserved space on baking sheet; set bowl aside.

    Step 3

    Roast eggplant and capers, keeping a close eye on capers, until capers are sizzling and slightly crisp, 8–10 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven and transfer capers back to reserved bowl. Return eggplant to oven and continue to roast until tender, 10–12 minutes more for Japanese, 20–25 for globe. Let eggplant cool slightly, then slice in half crosswise on a diagonal.

    Step 4

    Mix cherry preserves into reserved paste in bowl. Mix yogurt and lemon juice in another small bowl to combine; season with salt and pepper.

    Step 5

    Arrange eggplant on a platter. Spoon lemon yogurt over, then drizzle harissa-cherry sauce on top. Scatter roasted capers, dill, and lemon zest evenly over eggplant.

Explore Bon AppétitEggplantVegetableHarissaSummerFallSideGluten-FreeNut-FreeVegetarianRoastDinner
Sign In or Subscribe
to leave a Rating or Review

How would you rate Harissa-Roasted Eggplant With Fried Capers?

Leave a Review

Reviews (56)

Back to Top

  • Absolutely love this recipe! Have made it a dozen times. First time using Japanese eggplant tonight. When using the globe eggplant, I found that quartering it lengthwise then cutting off the long points to make the wedges more shallow works really well. I then cube those pieces and mix with the sauce remaining in the food processor and pile in a corner on the tray. I use the harissa recipe also on this website. It is very spicy, but we love it. I only ever have raspberry jam on hand, and that works fine. Don’t forget the salt & pepper in the yogurt. Without them, it is a bit too stark. Also, we prefer the zest mixed in the yogurt. Have shared this recipe with many people. 5 Stars!!!

    • AJ

    • Virginia Beach

    • 6/28/2022

  • Yum! I added mint to the harissa sauce and I topped the dish with fresh clementines, extra dill, and mint. It was divine!

    • Anonymous

    • Philadelphia

    • 6/27/2022

  • Made it with anchovies instead of capers since that's what I had. I would not recommend putting olive-oil packed anchovies in a hot oven - smoke galore! Very tasty despite almost setting off my fire alarm.

    • Hannah

    • Salt Lake City, UT

    • 1/28/2022

  • The cherry/harissa sauce is bomb, don’t skip it! This dish packs a punch with flavor. I didn’t think I would EVER say this, but I might reduce the garlic a little bit. Since it’s raw in the sauce, it’s a little overpowering. Lots of acidic flavors going on, so balance those as you wish. Could be good with some roasted chickpeas to beef it up a bit.

    • Kate

    • Portland OR

    • 1/12/2022

  • I've made this twice, and both times it came out amazing. I care a lot about the quality of my food, and this hits on every level. Easy five stars.

    • Zev

    • New York, New York

    • 1/3/2022

  • This recipe is the best….my capers ended up toasted and still tasted sooo good. Skipped the cherry preserve and yoghurt and lemon …..still tasted awesome with steamed rice

    • Editha

    • Maine

    • 12/21/2021

  • Made this with globe eggplants and just quartered them lengthwise so they were a similar size to halved Japanese. Served on top of a bed of brown rice so the eggplant was almost a creamy sauce for the rice. Very good, would absolutely make again. Served a simple cucumber salad with olive oil and red wine vinegar on the side also swapped dill for mint. Superb! Thank you, Bon appetite!

    • Elisha

    • San Luis Obispo, CA

    • 12/13/2021