Berenjenas con Miel is our favourite Spanish tapas dish featuring crispy deep fried eggplant drizzled with honey.
The classic sweet and salty combination is served in restaurants and family kitchens across Andalusia in Southern Spain, especially in the scenic city of Cordoba, the dishes birthplace.
Our homemade Berenjenas Fritas Con Miel recipe, also known as Spanish Eggplant with Honey, is a simple snack that we love to serve at tapas parties.
The simple vegetarian recipe features sliced eggplant soaked in buttermilk, tossed in flour and deep fried.
Before serving the crispy eggplant slices are drizzled with honey and sprinkled with lemon zest, flaky salt or sesame seeds.
Save this story to Pinterest!
What Is Berenjenas con Miel?
Berenjenas con Miel translates to Eggplants with Honey in Spanish.
The dish is often described as Berenjenas Fritas con Miel since the dish is deep fried.
The classic sweet & salty dish is served as a snack or appetizer at tapas bars and restaurants in Andalusia, Southern Spain. It is most commonly found in Granada, Seville, Cordoba and Malaga.
The dish consists of slices (like coins) or strips (like fries) of eggplant that are battered and fried, then drizzled with honey and sometimes even sprinkled with sesame seeds or flaky salt.
In Cordoba, where Crispy Fried Spanish Eggplant originates, the snack is served with a thick sweet syrup known asmiel de caña, which translates to “sugar cane honey,” also known as molasses or black treacle.
Because of the unusual combination of sweet and salty flavours, the origin of the dish is associated with Moorish influences in the region.
Travel to Spain by Cooking Berenjenas con Miel at Home
I love traveling to Europe!
During my first visit to the continent I traveled for 5 months by train and plane. I had the opportunity to eat my way through Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Croatia, Bosnia, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Greece, Turkey, France, Malta and Italy.
As a professional food and travel journalist, I’ve had the opportunity to enjoy amazing meals in Europe, from traditional markets to award winning restaurants.
What I love most about traveling to Spain is the opportunity to sample unique dishes in each region and city. The Spanish dishes in Madrid and Barcelona are unique to what you might find on restaurant menus in Salamanca, Toledo, Valencia, Mallorca, Ibiza, Seville, Cordoba, Granada and Malaga.
Once back home from an Andalusian holiday you’ll have a newfound appreciation for the flavours of Southern Spain and can impress friends and family by making our traditional Berenjenas con Miel recipe!
Where To Eat Spanish Fried Eggplant
If you live in a large city in Canada or America you’ll likely have access to a local Spanish restaurant that serves traditional Berenjenas Fritas con Miel.
Haven’t traveled to Spain before? It may be helpful to first sample authentic Spanish Eggplant at a local restaurant to better understand how it is served. You’ll get an idea for the ideal thickness of the eggplant, amount of honey to serve over the dish and other tapas to offer at the table.
In Toronto, popular Spanish restaurants that may serve Berenjenas con Miel include Carmen, Bar Isabel, Patria, Salt Wine Bar, Bar Raval, Barsa Taberna and Labora.
Join Dobbernationloves founder Andrew Dobson in the kitchen by signing up for a fun virtual cooking class! Classes begin with a cocktail that you can sip while preparing 2-3 recipes that are curated around a unique culinary theme. Check out our current Cooking Class Schedule!
My Family Loves Spanish Eggplant with Honey
Spain was one of the first countries I visited when backinging through Europe in my third year of university.
I of course had heard about tapas cuisine and was familiar with a few dishes like patatas bravas but was excited to experience the unique culinary tradition first hand after flying into Barcelona.
I quickly learned that popular tapas restaurants in Barcelona are very much geared towards tourists. Locals told me if I really wanted to experience authentic Spanish tapas culture I needed to visit Andalusia, specifically Granada, where the tradition still exists in its original form.
In Barcelona classic tapas are served on menus and you order them like you would any other dish. In Granada, locals visit bars to order a glass of wine, cider, beer or a cocktail and are given a complimentary (that’s free!) tapas dish to accompany the drink.
You don’t select from a food menu with prices, part of the fun is receiving whatever dish of the moment the chef is cooking. In Granada there are even culinary walking tours that focus on visiting each of the city’s best tapas restaurants, many of which are known for serving a specific kind of tapas dish, from grilled chorizo to tortilla.
Years later my sister and I enjoyed a road trip of Andalusia, driving from Seville to Cordoba, Granada and Malaga. While eating our way through Cordoba we gobbled up Berenjenas con Miel every opportunity we got, seeing as we were skipping through the birthplace of crispy Spanish Eggplant.
In Cordoba the dish is either served sliced into coins (which I prefer) or into shoestring-style fries. In Spain the dish is drizzled in the local version of cane sugar molasses, but you can use your favourite honey instead.
Berenjenas con Miel Recipe Cooking Tips
If it’s your first time preparing tapas at home here are some helpful cooking tips.
- Use a deep fryer or large wok to fry the Spanish Eggplant.
- Use slender Japanese Eggplant to prepare a coin shape or Italian-style eggplant to make fries.
- Be sure to salt the eggplant to help remove the water content.
- Soak the eggplant in buttermilk before dredging in flour and deep frying. Soaking eggplant in milk is a great way to remove the eggplants bitterness.
- Use a flavourless oil with a high smoking point to deep fry such as canola oil.
- We’ve drizzled honey on the dish before serving as Spanish “sugarcane honey” can be challenging to find at grocery stores in North America.
- We love sprinkling Berenjenas Fritas con Miel with lemon zest but you can also garnish the dish with flaky sale or sesame seeds.
What To Serve With Berenjenas con Miel
We love serving this authentic tapas recipe as a snack or appetizer at a Spanish themed dinner party.
If you’re hosting a tapas party pair Berenjenas Fritas con Miel with authentic dishes like Albondigas Spanish Meatballs, Sopa de Ajo, and Ham Croquettes.
We love serving the snack all on its own, with a glass of wine, beer, craft cocktail or sangria.
If you’re hosting a large Mediterranean-themed dinner party serve Spanish Eggplant as an appetizer alongside Baked Mediterranean Chicken Thighs, Bolo de Caco Madeira Sweet Potato Portuguese Rolls, Portuguese Bean Soup, Garides Saganaki, Oven Baked Halloumi, Melitzanosalata Greek Eggplant Dip, Lebanese Spiced Minced Beef Stuffed Pita Arayes, Za’atar Butter Bean Dip, and Lebanese Kibbeh Fried Beef Croquette.
Other Vegetarian Recipes You Might Enjoy…
- Scallion Dill Beetroot Salad with Yogurt
- Vegan Curry Leaf Rice with Cashews
- Turkish Pogaca Feta and Dill Bread Rolls
- Sangchu Geotjeori Sweet and Sour Korean Lettuce Salad
- Crispy Vegan Pan Fried Korean Tofu
- Vegan Lebanese Cabbage Malfouf Salad
- Vegan Spicy Crispy Roasted Harissa Potatoes
- Kookoo Sabzi Vegetarian Persian Omelet
- Toasted Pecan Parmesan Pear and Rocket Salad
- Cambozola Currant Pear and Fennel Salad
- Vegan Red Cabbage with Cranberries
- Oven Baked Halloumi with Roasted Vegetables
- Mutabbal Vegan Middle Eastern Eggplant Dip
- Parippu Vada Recipe With Coconut Chutney
- Burrata Bruschetta Crostini with Tomato Chutney
- Middle Eastern Spiced Pea Fritters
How To Make Crispy Berenjenas con Miel
Berenjenas con Miel
Equipment
- French knife
- mixing bowl
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- Wok or Deep Fryer
- Slotted Metal Spoon
- baking sheet
Ingredients
- 2 lb Firm Japanese Eggplants
- 1/4 cup Kosher Salt
- 1 cup Milk
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- Canola Oil for frying
- 1 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 tbsp Honey
- 2 tbsp Lemon Zest
Instructions
- Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice the eggplants into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Toss the eggplant slices with the salt and spread them out on cooling racks resting on a baking sheet. Let drain for 15 minutes, then blot the slices dry with paper towels.
- Transfer the eggplants to a bowl and cover with milk and buttermilk. Use a small plate to keep the eggplants submerged. Let soak in the fridge for 2-8 hours.
- When ready to fry the eggplants, heat 2 inches of oil to 350 F in a wok or deep fryer. Line a large plate with paper towel. Put the flour in a shallow wide bowl.
- Drain the eggplant slices and pat dry. Working in batches, dredge the eggplant slices in the flour, shaking off the excess, add to the hot oil, and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the slices to the lined plate to drain. Be sure to return the oil to 350 F between batches.
- Mound the fried slices on a platter or individual plates and drizzle the honey on top. Sprinkle with lemon zest and a pinch of kosher salt. Serve hot.
Nutrition
Some of the links in this story use affiliate links. This means that if you make a purchase through our site, Dobbernationloves will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your support helps us to produce comprehensive content.
Save this story to Pinterest!
