Eggplants confit in palm oil and seared fish recipe is the revelation of this year! I was inspired to develop this recipe after watching cooking classes by Thomas Keller on Masterclass.
Eggplants are the perfect candidate to confit in palm oil. They do not retain much oil and get cooked rather quickly. Before we get into what confit is, let’s talk about the ingredients that make this dish so unique. I like to pair eggplants with fish instead of meat. The lightness of a seared fish gives the eggplants the chance to really shine while meat tends to cast a shadow on the eggplants.
Also, leeks, country onions, and shallots add lots of flavors when cooking with palm oil. Side note, you should try sautéing onions, peppers in palm oil… Just amazing. That smell just brings me to my childhood right away!
What is “confit” in cooking?
It is a traditional French cooking method of preserving food in a liquid by slowly cooking it. This method was used to preserve food during cold months so they could enjoy meats and vegetables during winter back in the days. Nowadays, chefs use this method to cook in fat and other liquid, not necessarily to preserve the food. One of the most popular French recipes using this method is the duck confit. YUM!
What type of eggplants to use for this recipe?
I use small white eggplants. They are slightly bitter than the big purple eggplants that you find at your local grocer, though you can certainly use the big ones. You might have to cook them a little longer than the small ones.
Cooking with palm oil
As an ingredient, Red Palm brings an earthy, nutty taste and creamy texture to finished dishes.
Unrefined Red Palm Oil is a viscous oil, with a consistency similar to softened butter. Alone, it’s terrific stirred into sauces as a flavor booster and thickener.
You can find more details about palm oil here.
Temperature Guidelines
- Palm Oil has a smoke point of 350°
- Excellent for low to medium heat sautéing or light heat frying
- Red Palm Oil contains over 40% monounsaturated fat, the same healthy fat as olive oil
What spices to use for this recipe?
I have used leeks, country onions, bay leaves and shallots to flavor the eggplants. You don’t need too many spices in the palm oil because it already has a very nutty taste to the eggplants. Also, I enjoy any type of onion confit whether its onions, shallots, leeks, greens onions. Any member of the onion family is welcomed in this recipe. But feel free to explore different spices and give it a chance. Cooking is a personal thing. You should customize it to your taste. The possibilities are endless! The recipes are intended to inspire you to get adventurous in your kitchen!
How to make eggplants confit in palm oil with seared fish?
- Preheat the oven to 200 F.
- Pour the oil in the Dutch oven and place it in the oven for 10 min.
- In the meantime, cut your vegetables lengthwise.
- Take the Dutch oven out of the oven.
- Put the eggplants, shallots, leeks, country onions, garlic, bay leaves, cloves. Make sure that they are well covered with oil.
- Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and raise the oven temp to 350F.
- Put the Dutch oven in the oven uncovered from 40-45 min or until the vegetables are tender. You can check with a butter knife to make sure that you don’t have any resistance.
- If you want to eat them right away, put the vegetables on a paper towel to absorb the oil.
Recipes that you might also like:
Mbinzo with avocado and spinach sauce
Dried anchovies with charred peppers sauce
Chicken with peanut butter sauce
Print
Eggplants confit in palm oil and seared fish
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1h 10 min
- Yield: 3 1x
- Category: dinner, appetizer
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: african
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Paired the confit eggplants with seared fish. You can also pair with your choice of protein.
Ingredients
6 small eggplants (sliced lengthwise)
½ leek (white part)
2 Bay leaves
3 country onions (optional)
2 cloves
1 Garlic clove
½ tsp kosher salt
2 cup of melted palm oil
½ Lime
½ tsp of balsamic vinegar
2 shallots (peeled, sliced in half)
1 fillet of your favorite fish seared.
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 200 F.
2. Pour the oil in the Dutch oven and place it in the oven for 10 min.
3. In the meantime, cut your vegetables lengthwise.
4. Take the Dutch oven out of the oven.
5. Put the eggplants, shallots, leeks, country onions, garlic, bay leaves, cloves. Make sure that they are well covered with oil.
6. Take out the Dutch oven from the oven and raise the oven temp to 350F
7. Put the Dutch oven in the oven uncovered from 40-45min or until the vegetables are tender. You can check with a butter knife to make sure that you don’t have any resistance.
8. If you want to eat them right away, put the vegetables on a paper towel to absorb the oil.
9. If not, carefully remove the Dutch oven from oven and let it cool down for about 30 min.
10. To serve add a squeeze of lime juice or balsamic vinegar, salt.
11. Serve warm with a protein of your choice. I prefer to serve it with a seared fish.
Notes
You can store it for up to 3 months in a clean jar. To liquify the palm oil, put your jar in some warm water for a few minutes.
I paired the eggplant confit with perfect baked tilapia, and this was a great accompany. Thank you for sharing the recipe, certainly going to prepare it more often!
This eggplants confit in palm oil and seared fish recipe is new to me that’s why I’m very excited to try it.:) I love all the ingredients on it. Thanks!
Really loved the explanation of the confit. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.