This Fried Aubergine with Honey is a popular Spanish tapas dish & is also known as Berenjenas Fritas Con Miel. The aubergine is drizzled with honey making it the perfect blend of sweet and savoury.
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What Is Berenjenas Fritas Con Miel?
Berenjenas fritas con miel literally translates from Spanish to English as “fried aubergine (or eggplant) with honey”. It is an extremely popular tapas dish which originates from the Andalusian region in southern Spain. If you find yourself wandering into a Tapas bar in Seville or Malaga, I guarantee you will find this on the menu!
Traditionally the dish isn’t actually made with honey, instead miel de caña, which is Spanish for Molasses is used. Molasses is a thick, dark coloured syrup which comes from crushed sugarcane or sugar beets. I find a drizzle of good, runny honey just as delicious so have used this instead as its readily available.
I first came across this dish when on holiday in Malaga many moons ago and it blew me away. The crunchiness of the batter on the aubergine, yet the soft and silky inside, paired with a sweet drizzle of molasses was so moreish I ordered another portion!
Commonly this recipe contains milk and gluten, however I have adapted it to be dairy and gluten free. There is also an option to make it vegan. If you don’t have any dietary requirements, just use regular milk and flour and the recipe will come out just the same!
Made with only 5 ingredients this is such an easy yet impressive dish to make!
If you have some leftover aubergine after making this recipe, why not try making my Tahini Free Baba Ganoush?
🥘 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Aubergine- Or eggplant as they are known in the US. These are the main ingredient and I wouldn’t advise substituting them, however if you really don’t like aubergine or can’t get hold of any, you could make this recipe with courgette. You won’t need to soak the zucchini in milk, just dip them straight in the flour.
- Plant Based Milk- As this recipe is dairy free I have soaked the aubergine in Almond milk, but any other plant based milk will work, as will sparkling water. The liquid is used to draw out the bitterness from the aubergine. Use normal cows milk if you don’t need the recipe to be dairy free.
- Gluten Free Flour- As usual I have used Doves Farm Freee Plain flour, which is gluten free and is my favourite GF flour to use. Use regular flour if you don’t have a gluten allergy.
- Honey- I have used a regular runny honey. If you want to make this recipe vegan or more traditional just swap this out for molasses, as detailed above.
- Salt & Pepper
- Olive Oil- This is used for frying the aubergine. Try and buy the best olive oil you can. I love Filippo Berio olive oil.
Scroll to the recipe card at the end of the post for quantities.
✏️ How To Make This Recipe
Start by preparing the aubergine. You can either slice the aubergine into rounds or chop it into thick matchstick shapes (about the same size as a carrot baton). I have sliced it into rounds for this recipe as I find they crisp up better!
Soak the aubergine in a bowl of DF milk. Sprinkle with salt and leave to sit for at least an hour. If the aubergine is poking out of the milk mixture, pop a plate smaller than the bowl on top to push them down.
After an hour, drain the aubergine and pat dry with some kitchen towel.
Mix the salt and pepper with the GF flour in a clean bowl. Dip each aubergine slice into the flour mixture until fully coated and place the coated rounds on a plate ready for frying.
Fry the eggplant rounds in a hot frying pan with enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan, until they are crisp and golden, remembering to turn them half way through.
Put some kitchen towel on a plate and place the fried aubergine on the kitchen towel once cooked to allow the excess oil to drain.
Place on a clean plate, drizzle with some runny honey and serve!
💡 Tips & Tricks
- Slice the rounds or matchsticks evenly to ensure that they all cook at the same time. Don't cut them too thick or you won’t get that nice crispy finish. I prefer rounds as I find you get a better crunch on the batter.
- Don’t overcrowd the aubergine pieces in the frying pan. If you do, the heat gets trapped underneath the food in the pan and will create steam. They will still cook but you won’t get that crispy, crunchy finish.
⚡ Variations
I think this tapas dish is delicious as it is, however if you want to add an extra depth of flavour you can season the flour with some paprika, rosemary or thyme to mix it up a bit. All of these flavours work really well with the honey.
🔪 Equipment
🥡 How To Store
I would really recommend eating these fresh from the pan as this is when they will taste their best, however if you have leftovers they will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for around 2-3 days. Re-heat them in the oven at 180˚C for around 10-12 minutes until piping hot throughout.
You can also freeze them if needed. First of all freeze flat on a cold baking tray for around an hour until frozen. This will ensure they don’t stick together.They can then be popped into a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
When you are ready to eat, let them thaw in the fridge over night and re-heat as above.
🍴 Serving Suggestions
This dish screams tapas night! Serve alongside some ham croquettes, gambas pil pil, olives and tons of crusty bread with balsamic and olive oil!
They also make a great snack or starter as well.
💬 Recipe FAQ's
Soaking the aubergines in dairy free milk or sparkling water helps to draw the bitterness out of the aubergine. Sprinkling salt on the aubergine, letting it sit for an hour, then rinsing will also work, but I find soaking in DF milk gives extra moisture to the inside of the aubergine. I wouldn’t recommend leaving out this step.
If you are looking for a slightly less calorific version, you can bake the aubergine instead. Place the floured rounds on a baking tray spaced evenly apart, spray with some olive oil and bake in the oven at 200˚C/390˚F for 20 minutes until crisp and golden, remembering to turn half way through.
💫 Love this recipe? It would be great if you could leave a 5 ⭐ rating and comment below! Thanks x 💫
Fried Aubergine With Honey (Berenjenas Fritas Con Miel)
Ingredients
- 1 medium aubergine sliced into thin rounds or matchsticks
- 350 ml dairy free milk enough to cover aubergine, I used almond.
- 50 g gluten free plain flour approx, enough to coat aubergine
- 1½ inches olive oil enough to cover frying pan
- ½ teaspoon salt omit if cooking for small children
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Slice the aubergine into thin rounds around 1cm thick.
- Soak the aubergine in a bowl of DF milk. Sprinkle with salt and leave to sit for at least an hour. If the aubergine is poking out of the milk mixture, pop a plate smaller than the bowl on top to push them down. (see notes)
- After an hour, drain the aubergine and pat dry with some kitchen towel.
- Heat the oil in the frying pan. Use enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
- Mix the salt and pepper with the GF flour in a clean bowl. Dip each aubergine slice into the flour mixture until fully coated and place the coated rounds on a plate ready for frying.
- Once the oil is hot, fry the eggplant rounds in the frying pan, until they are crisp and golden, around 3-4 minutes each side.
- Put some kitchen towel on a plate and place the fried aubergine on the kitchen towel once cooked to allow the excess oil to drain.
- Place the aubergine on a clean plate, drizzle with some runny honey and serve!
Notes
- Slice the rounds or matchsticks evenly to ensure that they all cook at the same time. Don't cut them too thick or you won’t get that nice crispy finish. I prefer rounds as I find you get a better crunch on the batter.
- Don’t overcrowd the aubergine pieces in the frying pan. If you do, the heat gets trapped underneath the food in the pan and will create steam. They will still cook but you won’t get that crispy, crunchy finish.
- Soaking the aubergines in dairy free milk or sparkling water helps to draw the bitterness out of the aubergine. Sprinkling salt on the aubergine, letting it sit for an hour, then rinsing will also work, but I find soaking in DF milk gives extra moisture to the inside of the aubergine. I wouldn’t recommend leaving out this step.
Let me know what you think of this recipe!