There’s nothing quite like a crispy, fried veggie to make a meal really special. And this extra crispy fried eggplant delivers on both flavor and texture. The breading gives it a really wonderful crunch and the flavor inside is pure veggie heaven.

While this vegetable looks and tastes like a squash, it’s actually in the same family as tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes. Interestingly, while the other foods on this list are New World foods, eggplant is an Old World food. This explains why this yummy veggie (technically a fruit) has a featured place in so many different cuisines around the world.

To make the most of your eggplant slices you don’t want let their moisture make the recipe turn out soggy. To prevent this sprinkle them with salt and give them time for the salt to draw out the excess moisture.

Then you’re ready to heat the oil and prepare the dredge. For this recipe you’ll want to use panko breadcrumbs as this will give a much crispier finished result as compared to regular breadcrumbs. The larger pieces of crumb don’t clump together as much, but also give a larger surface area to become crisped up during the frying process.

Some parmesan cheese in the dredge also ensures that these eggplant pieces come out super crispy and full of flavor.

Set the finished pieces on a paper towel-lined plate or tray to drain and then just before serving sprinkle each one with some flaky sea salt for an extra special flavor.

To serve these just warm up some marinara sauce to dip them into for an appetizer or side. Or you can make these the focus of the dinner by serving them on top of pasta that’s already been tossed with warm tomato sauce and some more parmesan cheese. If you’re someone who can’t stand soggy eggplant then this is the way to have it: super crunchy and brimming with flavor.