Grilled Eggplant Salad with Yogurt

The Fourth of July is Thursday and the Simms family cookout is happening again because tradition does not take years off and neither do I. The same cast of characters: Doris from Hoover, James from Montgomery, Carolyn from Bessemer, Raymond calling from Atlanta with his annual excuse. The same menu: ribs, burgers, baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad, watermelon, and whatever Carolyn brings, which will be her version of Mama's potato salad, which will be slightly wrong, which I will eat without comment because family is about accepting people's potato salad even when it is not your potato salad.

This year I added a new dish: grilled corn with chili-lime butter. I got the idea from a food show Destiny was watching, and it sounded good, and it was good — the corn charred on the grill, the butter melted with lime zest and chili powder and a little honey, brushed on while the corn was still hot so it soaked into the kernels. Marcus ate four ears. Calvin ate two and said it was like eating corn with a personality, which is the most Calvin Simms compliment a piece of corn has ever received.

Marcus and his friends were there again — DeShawn, Jamal, a few others — and they took over the backyard with their football and their music and their seventeen-year-old invincibility. I watched from the kitchen window and held the watching the way I hold everything — tightly, with both hands, aware that the holding is temporary and the memory is permanent. Next Fourth of July, Marcus will be heading to college. This is his last Fourth as a boy in his mother's house. I did not say this to anyone. I did not need to. The thought lived in my chest all day, warm and heavy, like a stone that has been sitting in the sun.

Mama called because her back would not let her come. She gave the same critique as last year: not enough cayenne on the ribs. I gave the same response: yes Mama. She gave the same rebuttal: you always say yes and I always taste not enough. This conversation is its own tradition. It is as fixed as the menu. It is as sacred as the fireworks. It is how Mama and I say I love you when we are too stubborn to say the actual words, which we are, because we are Simms women and Simms women show love through cayenne and criticism, in that order.

The fireworks were beautiful. We watched them from the backyard, blankets on the grass. Marcus lay on his back with his hands behind his head, looking up at the explosions of color like a boy who believes the sky is putting on a show just for him. I sat beside him and did not say any of the things I was thinking. I said pass the watermelon. He passed the watermelon. The watermelon was sweet. The night was warm. The family was here. The sky exploded. It was enough.

That corn with chili-lime butter got me thinking about how much I underuse the grill for anything that isn’t ribs or burgers — the fire is already going, the coals are already hot, and there is a whole world of vegetables out there just waiting for their moment. This grilled eggplant salad with yogurt is what I made the following weekend when the family memory was still fresh and I wanted to keep that easy outdoor feeling going a little longer. It has the same char, the same brightness, and it disappears off the plate the same way the corn did — which is to say, fast.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 medium eggplants (about 2 lbs total), sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, torn
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

Salt the eggplant. Arrange eggplant rounds in a single layer on a sheet pan or cutting board. Sprinkle both sides generously with kosher salt and let sit for 10 minutes to draw out moisture. Pat dry with paper towels before grilling.
Heat the grill. Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high heat (about 400°F). Clean and oil the grates well to prevent sticking.
Grill the eggplant. Brush both sides of the eggplant rounds with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with black pepper. Grill for 5–7 minutes per side, until deep char marks form and the eggplant is completely tender and collapsed. Transfer to a platter.
Make the yogurt sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, minced garlic, lemon juice, cumin, smoked paprika, and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt to taste.
Assemble the salad. Spread the yogurt sauce across the bottom of a large serving platter. Arrange the warm grilled eggplant rounds on top, overlapping slightly.
Finish and serve. Scatter the chopped parsley, torn mint, and red pepper flakes (if using) over the top. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil if desired. Serve immediately with lemon wedges on the side.

Nutrition (per serving)

Grilled Eggplant Salad with Yogurt — One More Thing to Char While the Grill Is Hot