Eggplant melts with chermoula and feta

Smoky, tender eggplant, sharp feta and a bright herb chermoula make an easy centrepiece for a barbecue lunch or a relaxed dinner. The best part is the contrast: the aubergine should be soft and savoury, the feta should remain a little granular, and the herbs should stay vivid rather than collapse into the heat. Toasting everything on bread turns those elements into a genuine melt rather than a pile of toppings.

This version keeps the cooking method straightforward and the ingredients easy to find. It works in a fan-forced oven, under a grill or on a barbecue, with enough preparation to prevent sogginess and enough lemon to keep each bite lively. Chermoula can be made ahead, while the eggplant and cheese are cooked close to serving time. The result suits an arvo barbecue, a long lunch with friends or a meat-free plate that still feels generous.

Build the flavour balance

Chermoula is the engine of the dish: a loose green sauce built around parsley, coriander and mint, sharpened with lemon and garlic. Unlike a thick chutney, it should taste fresh enough to remain recognisable after it meets hot eggplant. A spoonful of harissa or chilli flakes can add warmth, but the herbs and acid are what make the sauce memorable.

Balance the herb sauce against the rich, roasted vegetable and salty cheese. If the chermoula seems sharp when tasted alone, add another squeeze of lemon; if it feels flat, a little more olive oil will soften the flavour without dulling it. Taste before seasoning the assembled melts, because feta brings plenty of salt of its own.

Choose ingredients from the Australian market

Most Australian supermarkets, including Woolworths and Coles, stock small eggplants and cherry tomatoes year-round, although the best aubergine arrives during the warmer months. At a Sydney or Melbourne farmers’ market, choose firm, glossy examples with tightly attached stems. Australians commonly use both “eggplant” and “aubergine”, so either name on the produce label will do.

Australian recipes favour metric measures, so the quantities below are simple to follow and make four generous melts. Summer produce also fits the dish beautifully: roast the eggplant while fresh herbs are abundant, then double the chermoula if friends are arriving.

• 4 small eggplants (aubergines), about 600 g, or 2 medium eggplants
• 200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 150 g firm feta, crumbled
• 120 g mozzarella, grated
• 30 g flat-leaf parsley, 20 g coriander and 15 g fresh mint
• 2 flatbreads or 4 large sourdough slices, plus olive oil, lemon, garlic and spices

Blend the chermoula

Chop the parsley, coriander and mint coarsely, keeping tender stems with the leaves. Combine them in a food processor with one garlic clove, the zest and juice of half a lemon, 60 ml olive oil and a pinch of ground cumin. Pulse rather than process continuously, leaving some texture so the sauce spooned over hot vegetables still looks vivid.

Finely chop four of the tomatoes and stir them into the herb mixture so they do not make the chermoula watery. Season with salt and black pepper, then let it stand for 15 minutes before tasting. The finished sauce should be spoonable, not pourable; loosen it with a teaspoon of water only if necessary. Any excess keeps in the fridge for up to three days.

Grill or roast the eggplant

Trim the eggplant and cut it into 1 cm rounds. Salt the pieces lightly, leave them on a plate for 20 minutes, then pat them dry; this draws out moisture and reduces the chance of a watery bake. Toss with a little olive oil and heat in a fan-forced oven at 180°C, or 200°C conventional, for 20 to 25 minutes until browned and tender.

Alternatively, brush the rounds with oil and grill them on a hot barbecue until marked but not scorched. Turn only once because the flesh becomes fragile once cooked. For extra ideas about cooking over heat, keep the barbecue guide open while you set up the barbecue. Add the remaining tomatoes during the final ten minutes so they soften without collapsing.

Layer the melts

Toast the sourdough, warm the flatbread or lightly oil a baking tray. Spread each piece with chermoula, add the roasted eggplant and a scattering of feta, then grate over the mozzarella. The mozzarella supplies the familiar pull, while feta keeps the topping savoury and textured; together they melt without making the bread heavy.

Place the assembled melts under a hot grill for three to four minutes, watching closely, or return them to a 200°C conventional oven until the cheese bubbles. Rest for two minutes before cutting so the toppings stay in place. Serve one whole melt per person, or cut flatbread into pieces for sharing.

When bread is part of the meal rather than a side, the Moroccan bread tradition offers a thoughtful approach to passing it around and sharing it by hand. Keep the pieces within easy reach, but let each guest break off the portion they want.

Serve with complementary sides

Fresh, acidic accompaniments sharpen the richness of the eggplant. A lemon-dressed salad, cool yoghurt or a bowl of olives all sit comfortably beside the hot cheese. For wine, Moroccan labels are worth exploring through this Moroccan wine pairing, though the same fresh-herb logic applies to Australian riesling, vermentino or chilled sparkling wine.

For a meat-free table, add something with texture and crunch, and keep the drinks uncomplicated. This flexible spread works equally well at a summer barbecue, a Friday-night supper or a picnic with friends.

• Rocket and cucumber with lemon, olive oil and a pinch of sumac
• Thick yoghurt with diced cucumber, mint and a drizzle of chilli oil
• Toasted almonds or walnuts with roasted carrot and hummus
• Warm flatbread and a small bowl of olives for the table
• Chilled Australian vermentino, sparkling wine or sparkling water with lemon

Make it a shared summer meal

Make the chermoula before the heat goes on, then grill the eggplant while the bread warms and the cheese waits to go under the grill. Keeping these stages separate is the difference between a crisp, colourful melt and a soggy one. Serve the result straight from the tray, with the salad and drinks already arranged.

Cook this for your next arvo barbecue or long lunch, and let everyone build or share their own. The bright herbs, smoky aubergine and molten feta make it equally satisfying as a meat-free main or the first warm plate of the day.