Cut the top and bottom off the eggplant, turn on the side and slice the eggplant in 1 cm thick pieces. Place into a bowl with a handful of salt sprinkled over it all for about 20 mins. You are trying to draw the water out of the eggplant a little.
Pat dry and brush the salt off before breading. Think FEB (Flour, egg, breadcrumbs) piping the slices into the flour first, then egg, then the breadcrumbs (which have the parmesan mixed through them with a little salt and pepper too. You could add in fresh finely chopped parsley to the breadcrumbs as well - maybe even some lemon zest.
Bread the slices and set aside. Into a fry pan add a few cms of oil and wait until it's hot. The tip I have is to place the end of a wooden spoon into the oil and if it starts to bubble you know you are good to go.
Fry the pieces until golden each side and the eggplant is cooked through. You don't want the oil too hot because it will golden up without cooking the inside. Turn as you do - this took me a good 3-4 minutes
Line them up, sprinkle with extra parsley and salt snd smash them out. YUM. Seriously, could eat these forever. Add in an icy prosecco and you are basically in Italy you guys.
