Total time: 25 min • Prep: 15 min • Cook: 10 min • Serves: 4 • Difficulty: Easy

This wonderfully simple recipe highlights the sweet flavor and buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture of Japanese eggplant. It can be prepared multiple ways, both indoors and out—on the grill, in a grill pan (or even a cast-iron skillet), or under the broiler. Long and thin, Japanese eggplant has a deep purple skin and minimal seeds. There’s no need to peel or seed eggplant; you can just slice it and grill. If you can’t find any Japanese eggplant, buy regular eggplant that's small in size. When buying eggplant, no matter the variety, it should feel heavy for its size, the skin should be shiny and feel firm, and the stem should be green.