Smoky roasted eggplant mashed with tahini, lemon and garlic — a beloved Israeli eggplant salad, salat chatzilim.
Salat chatzilim is one of Israel's most beloved cold vegetable salads, built around eggplant roasted until the skin blackens and the interior turns completely soft and smoky, then mashed together with tahini, lemon juice and garlic into a rich, creamy dip-like salad. It's a fixture of the Israeli salad spread served at nearly every meal, alongside hummus, Israeli salad and other small vegetable dishes. The technique that defines a proper salat chatzilim is charring the eggplant's skin thoroughly, traditionally over an open flame or under a very hot broiler, since this smokiness is what gives the finished salad its signature deep flavor — roasting at a gentler temperature without real char produces a flatter, less interesting result. Once charred and completely soft, the eggplant flesh is scooped out, drained of excess liquid, and mashed rather than pureed, keeping some rustic texture rather than turning it perfectly smooth. Served cold or at room temperature with warm pita for scooping, this salad reflects the centrality of eggplant to Middle Eastern and Israeli cooking, transformed here into something smoky, creamy and deeply savory through nothing more than fire and a few simple additions.
Serves 4
Char the eggplants directly over a gas flame, turning with tongs, or under a very hot broiler, until the skin is completely blackened and the flesh is very soft, about 15-20 minutes.
Real char, not just light roasting, is what gives this salad its signature deep, smoky flavor — the skin should be genuinely blackened all over.
Cut the charred eggplants open and scoop out the soft flesh, discarding the skin. Let drain in a colander for 10 minutes to remove excess liquid.
Roughly mash the drained eggplant flesh with tahini, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt and smoked paprika, keeping some texture rather than making it fully smooth.
Drizzle with extra olive oil, scatter with parsley, and serve at room temperature or chilled with warm pita.
Char the eggplant thoroughly over an open flame if you have a gas stove — this genuinely produces the best, smokiest flavor.
Drain the scooped eggplant flesh well before mixing in the other ingredients, or the salad can turn watery.
Mash rather than purée for the traditional rustic texture that defines this salad.
Add a spoonful of mayonnaise for a creamier, more indulgent version common in some households.
Add a small diced tomato for extra freshness and color.
Increase the garlic for a sharper, more assertive flavor.
Refrigerate up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving for the best flavor, since chilled versions can taste muted.
Salat chatzilim reflects the broader Middle Eastern tradition of smoky, mashed eggplant dishes, closely related to Levantine baba ganoush, and has become one of Israel's most standard everyday salads, served as part of the country's ubiquitous small-plate salad spreads. Eggplant's central role across so many Israeli and Middle Eastern dishes traces to the vegetable's long history of cultivation and use throughout the region.
They're closely related — both are smoky, mashed eggplant dishes, though baba ganoush more commonly includes yogurt and a slightly different balance of ingredients, while salat chatzilim tends to be simpler, relying mainly on tahini, lemon and garlic.
A gas flame gives the most authentic smoky char, but a very hot broiler works as a good substitute if you don't have gas — just turn the eggplant occasionally to char it evenly all over.
This usually means the charred eggplant flesh wasn't drained well enough before mixing — let it sit in a colander for a full 10 minutes and press out any excess liquid before combining with the other ingredients.
Per serving (180g / 6.3 oz) · 4 servings total
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