Wow, I so wish I had a story to tell you right now. My posts don’t feel right to me if I don’t have a little anecdote to tell you that somehow connects to the recipe at hand. But here’s the real truth…I am writing this post a few days in advance, because I am heading off to the International Food Bloggers Conference in Seattle this week. And it’s put me in a bit of a time crunch! I don’t want to leave you hanging without some recipes for a few days, but I am drawing a big fat blank on what to say. Do you hear those crickets chirping? Yep, that’s the silence in my head right now.
I am really excited to be heading back to the North West Coast. I spent some of my formative years in Vancouver, BC, with a few side trips across the border into Seattle. Although I’ve been back to Vancouver over the years, I haven’t been to Seattle since I was about 23. Dare I tell you how long ago that was? Well, all you have to do is look for my last birthday post and you can figure it out easily enough. The west coast and I get along quite well. Whereas other people abhor the rain, I never minded it all that much. What I did mind was carrying an umbrella that would be buffeted about in the strong winds. So I usually turned up to my classes at UBC looking like a drowned rat because I refused to carry an umbrella. And for all the rain you see in that part of the world, let me tell you something. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is as beautiful as the sun coming out on the mountains after the rain.
Now to the recipe. This is the recipe that actually got two out of my three kids to eat eggplant. Victory is mine! Well, partial victory anyway. I threw them together on a whim one day and they smelled so good frying that my son asked for some. And when he declared it delicious, the other two asked for some. Little Miss Margaret wasn’t a fan, but she’s not a fan of most food these days. Being almost 4, she’s in that lovely phase where anything remotely unfamiliar tasting doesn’t fly with her.
I’ve made these as eggplant “fries” too, by slicing the eggplant into long sticks about 1/2 inch wide. And they were fantastic that way, but a lot more work with all the flipping and turning in the pan to brown. It’s far easier and just as tasty to do wide rounds of eggplant. And the leftovers make a great bed for fried eggs the next morning!
Garlic Parmesan Fried Eggplant – Low Carb and Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- 1 medium eggplant
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup butter, coconut oil or other cooking oil
Instructions
- Slice eggplant into 1/3 inch thick slices and arrange in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt and let sit 30 minutes.
- Blot eggplant dry with a paper towel.
- In a shallow bowl, whisk egg.
- In a larger bowl, whisk together almond flour, Parmesan, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 to 2 tbsp butter or oil over medium heat.
- Dip each slice of eggplant in egg, shaking off excess, then dredge in almond flour mixture and shake off excess.
- Working in batches, arrange eggplant slices in skillet and fry until coating is browned and crisp, a few minutes per side. Remove and let drain on a paper towel lined plate.
- Add more oil and more eggplant slices to the pan. You may need to do 3 or even 4 batches, depending on the size of your skillet.
Recipe Notes
Serves 6. Each serving has 10 g of carbs and 4 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 6 g.
271 Calories; 22g Fat (69.6% calories from fat); 12g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 67mg Cholesterol; 696mg Sodium.
I’ve got a couple of eggplants that might actually make it to ripeness before the rains set in, and this sounds like a great recipe to try! Have you used it for eggplant parmesan? If they get a decent crust, I will probably try that.
I live in Portland. Wonderful city for fitness and healthy foodies (and beer and wine lovers!). However the job market is brutal, unless you’re in IT. If that is your husbands field, then this is a great place to live and work! My husband and I love it here, but a changing job situation is forcing us to look elsewhere. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for an opportunity to stay.
They get a decent crust when hot out of the pan. They do get a bit soggy when they sit for a while. But I think they’d still make good parm. My husband is actually in IT, so the opps are there, he just needs time to search. I am sorry it’s so tough on you right now. 🙁
Ugh…have to second you on the job market in PDX…my DH was laid off in 2011 and has only been able to get contract jobs since (no health insurance, no paid holidays/sick days, etc.)
But on an upbeat note, DH requested eggplant parmesan, and I will be trying this this week! We’ve been eating eggplant every week…baba ghanooj, roasted with ricotta cheese…yum!
Oh baby! You are speaking my language here. (Pinned and bookmarked!)
I love eggplant! Eggplant Parm, moussaka, stuffed eggplant, eggplant, eggplant eggplant! Carolyn, yours look just beautiful!
I don’t this kind of eggplants over here…so adorable. Your fried eggplant slices look so inviting.
Is the salting necessary if you like the bitter tang of eggplant? I seem to recall reading that commercial eggplants (if you’d not growing or buying heirlooms) are more mild now than they used to be. I’m just wondering if the salt removes moisture that makes for better frying, and if so I won’t skip the step. I LOVE eggplant! Thanks for this!
I find that the salting helps it cook faster and better. If you don’t, it can be hard to get it to cook through before the almond crust browns too much.
I luv, luv, luv, luv eggplant! I’ve been making mine like this for a long time. However, I go one step further and put a thick slice of fresh mozzarella cheese between 2 eggplant rounds, top with my homemade marinara sauce and bake long enough to slightly melt the cheese. YUMMMO! I crave eggplant….it’s always listed as my favorite food. Thanks for posting!
You’re making me hungry, Belenda!
Sounds perfect! I’m doing that too! Yummy!
I hope you obtain your Portland, Oregon dreams!…I’m from Portland…and I find it WAY more interesting than it ever was whilst growing up there…I fully agree that it is a foodie paradise…as well as a nature-lovers/outdoor sport lovers paradise….The wine industry..new but highly reputed (think outstanding Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley). I miss it so..sniff!
Thank you for this visually stunner of a recipe…Question…could I try baking the discs as opposed to frying?..Or would they lack the crispy quality so apparent here? I have an “aversion” to fried foods generally…alas…but might make an exception with this recipe!
I think you could bake them, but they won’t be the same at all. I’d suggest at least drizzling with oil or melted butter for better flavour.
I’m going shopping this afternoon for eggplant. Do you peel it or just wash and slice? I’m a Southern CA transplant to Salem 13 years ago. I LOVE it here and never tire of the rain. And it’s beautiful, too! A great place for healthy living and eating. Good Luck!
Just wash and slice…I like the peel on my eggplant.
thank you
I do not like the peel, too tough to chew and ruins the dish, for me. I peel mine.
yah , sounds like an idea and you get more almond flour coating on the slice.
P.S. – I so badly want to move to portland too! Its beautiful there, I love the food, the weather, the people, the mountains, the wineries….everything about it! Mountains to the east, pacific to the west and desert to the northeast. AND Napa 8 hrs to the south. All evolves around wine, food, ocean, mountains and peeps like me! I belong out there, not stuck here in Ohio….BTW, bought eggplant today and will be making this tomorrow.
Oh…for you Portland fans out there I MUST recommend a VERY hilarious parody on “the lifestyle” called “PORTLANDIA”…you can find it on You-Tube…It is tongue-in-cheek BUT it hones in on the “vibe” in Portland..Check it out!!!
Fry the eggplant then freeze between sheets of wax paper in a air tight container. We do a whole bunch like this and have quick easy eggplant parmasen for the whole winter.
Thanks, Chris! Great tip.
This looks amazing. Maybe if it won your kids over it would win my husband over. He is never a big fan of eggplant.
Have fun at IFBC! My oldest son loves crunchy eggplant – the crust on these eggplant slices looks perfect.
You can bake the eggplant instead of frying it – crunchy and delicious crust! 350 degrees. Spray Pam spray on cookie sheet and top of cutlets. Can’t remember how long I baked them last night, just watch for brown crust and poke fork to insure tender eggplant. I then made a ricotta (lasagna like) filling. In pie pan I placed cooked eggplant cutlets – put ricotta mixture – then another layer of eggplant. Covered with foil and baked. Served with homemade marinara sauce on the side made from garden tomatoes. Still great when I reheated for lunch today!
Can you substitute coconut flour for the almond flour? I have a nut allergy so almond flour is out. Still looking to keep the recipe low carb.
I am afraid I’ve never found coconut flour to be a good substitute in breading recipes. It absorbs too much moisture and clumps too much. You could try something more like flax seed meal, that would be better.
Use pork rinds they have zero carbs,no singer and are nut free. Crush them bread crumbs with rolling pin in zip lock bag until it looks like bread crumbs. Season italian style and coat the eggplant with it bake or fry it stays Crispy.
Oh my Gooood- does this look delicious! I am always looking for new eggplant recipes ( it is a lovely vegetable, isn´t it?), and tjis one I never tried before. Thanks so much for the inspiration- your blog is beautiful.
Howdy from a Swedish food blogger and foodie 🙂
I meant “this”, not “tjis”…. 😉
Maybe that’s Swedish for this? Haha, just kidding, I knew what you meant! 😉
Do you have a fried tomato version of this? I loved those growing up and thought I could repurpose some of this for that version. Ever tried it?
This is what I have for fried green tomatoes https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2012/10/green-tomato-recipes.html
I made these as fries last night with your bacon cheeseburger meatballs, everything was delicious!
Carolyn, I just found this recipe today and I made it this afternoon. All I can say is WOW!!! This is an amazing recipe. My whole family likes it. Thanks so much.
Hi Carolyn, what could I use as a substitute for almond flour?
Crushed pork rinds.
Hi Carolyn
Can you egg and crumb these ahead of time and fry them later. Will they still go crispy. They look gorgeous thanks for the recipe. Just started back on a low carb diet this week with my husband and finding your recipes a great help
Kellie
Hi Carolyn
How many eggplant slices should one be eating? Im just worries because while it is low carb each slice is 271 calories? Surely 1 slice would not fill anyone up. I would probably eat 4 which a consumption of 1084 in one meal :/ Does this seem right? Or is 271 calories the total 6 serves you make?
It’s about 2 slices per serving, but it’s meant to be a side dish, not a full meal. So pair it with some protein or something and you should have a nice dinner.
Can anyone suggest a good sauce to partner…
Awesome recipe! I found that the discs soaked up a lot of the oil. I didn’t deep fry them, I shoulda kinda!
But they were a definite hit! Thanks! I love your blog!
Thank you for the recipe!! I can’t wait to try it!