Berenjenas con Miel
Berenjenas con Miel de Caña·(beh-ren-HEH-nas con myell deh KAH-nyah)
Chapter 3: Hot Tapas
If there is one dish that separates a generic tapas joint from a truly great Spanish restaurant, it is the berenjenas con miel. Done poorly, it is a heavy, oily sponge. Done right—as they do in the taverns of Córdoba and Málaga—it is a greaseless, shattering, tempura-like crust giving way to a molten, savory interior. To pull this off at home without hovering over a deep fryer all night, we steal two tricks from the pros: soaking the eggplant in ice-cold sparkling water to seal the porous vegetable before frying, and finishing the dish with miel de caña, a dark, complex sugar cane molasses that cuts the fat with a beautiful, bitter-sweet edge.
Before you start
The party prep workflow.
The eggplant can sit safely in the cold sparkling water in your refrigerator for up to four hours without degrading, making this perfect for a dinner party. When your guests are ready for the course, it requires only a three-minute, high-heat flash fry to reach the table.
Ingredients
- firm Japanese eggplants2 med
- sparkling water1 l
- all-purpose flour1 cup
- chickpea flour1/4 cup
- kosher salt1 tbsp
- olive oil3 cup
- flaky sea salt1 tsp
- miel de caña1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Submerge the eggplant batons entirely in the ice-cold sparkling water.
Weigh them down with a smaller plate to keep them fully submerged so the carbonation can fill the microscopic air pockets in the flesh.
- 02
Whisk the all-purpose flour, chickpea flour, and kosher salt in a wide, shallow dish.
Have a fine-mesh sieve resting over a dry bowl nearby, and set a wire cooling rack over a baking sheet.
- 03
Heat two inches of olive oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven to 350°F.
If you do not have enough olive oil, a neutral high-heat frying oil like canola or sunflower is an acceptable kitchen compromise, though olive oil remains the gold standard for flavor.
- 04
Working in handful-sized batches, pull the eggplant batons from the soaking liquid and toss them directly into the flour.
Do not dry them; let the excess liquid drip off for a second, but you need that residual moisture to make the flour adhere.
- 05
Transfer the floured batons to the fine-mesh sieve and shake aggressively.
You only want a microscopic dusting of flour. A thick layer will result in a heavy, doughy crust that ruins the dish.
- 06
Drop the batons into the hot oil and fry for exactly 2 to 3 minutes until deep golden brown and stiff.
Turn them occasionally with a spider skimmer. Do not overcrowd the pan, or the oil temperature will plummet and the eggplant will become greasy.
- 07
Transfer the fried batons to the wire rack and let them cool for exactly 60 seconds before salting.
This is a crucial restaurant technique. If you salt them while piping hot, the salt melts and the moisture destroys the crunch. After 60 seconds, sprinkle generously with flaky sea salt.
- 08
Pile the batons high on a warm serving plate and drizzle aggressively with the miel de caña.
Serve immediately while still audibly crisp; this dish has a table-life of about ten minutes before the internal steam compromises the crust.
Notes
Sourcing the right syrup.
Authentic miel de caña is essential to the Moorish flavor profile of Andalusia. Standard bee honey is far too floral and cloying. If you cannot source the Spanish original, use a mild American baking molasses, avoiding harsh blackstrap varieties.