Low Carb Tortang Talong With Sardinas

Savory eggplant is grilled to perfection until the flesh is softened enough to flatten out to hold a delicious mixture of sardines, garlic, and onions. The sardine mixture gets a light squeeze of lemon to brighten the dish. This mixture is then placed on top of a sauteed eggplant that is awaiting an egg batter. The entire eggplant (filling included) is then seared to a golden brown color and then served with sliced scallions on top. This will quickly become one of your new favorite Keto diet Tagalog recipes.

What kind of sardines should I use?

This recipe uses a smoked sardine packed in olive oil, but you can use sardines packed in tomato sauce as well.

What kind of eggplants should I use? How do I know I have grilled the eggplants enough?

Long, slender Japanese eggplants are best for this dish as larger eggplants are harder to handle as the flesh to skin ratio is more considerable. Slender Japanese eggplants hold their shape, which makes them easy to flip and stuff with filling. You will know the eggplants have been grilled long enough because they will begin to feel very soft all around. The goal is to cook the eggplant long enough, so it is soft enough to mash with gentle pressure from a fork. If you don’t have a grill but have a gas stove, you can cook them over an open flame like illustrated in the recipe below. Alternatively, you can roast them in the oven at 400 F until softened.

This recipe uses salt to season the dish. Can I use other flavorings?

Yes, there are a few different ways to prepare Tortang Talong with Sardinas. Feel free to add a little oyster sauce or fish sauce to the final filling mixture instead of salt.

Serving suggestions

Serve this dish alongside Keto Roasted Bok Choy https://www.carbmanager.com/recipe/keto-roasted-bok-choy.

Net Carbs

12.4 g
Fiber

7.3 g
Total Carbs

19.7 g
Protein

10.2 g
Fats

7.2 g

187 cals

Quantity

Serving Size

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Avocado Oil

2 teaspoon
Onion

1 small
Garlic

2 clove
Coarse Kosher Salt by Morton

¼ tsp
Tomato Raw (includes Cherry, Grape, Roma)

1 cup
Skinless And Boneless Imported Sardines In Pure Olive Oil by Season Brand

4-½ ounce
Lemon Juice

2 teaspoon
Coarse Kosher Salt by Morton

¼ tsp
Scallions

1 medium - 4 1/8" long
Raw Egg

2 large
Avocado Oil

2 teaspoon
Asian Items Japanese Eggplant by Melissa's

4 average eggplant

Step 1

To prepare the eggplants, place a grate over an open flame on a gas stove. Cook the eggplants for several minutes on all sides until the eggplants are yielded to gentle pressure with a fork. The goal is to cook them soft enough to mash. If you don’t have a gas stove, you can cook the eggplants on the grill in a similar fashion. See the footnotes above about cooking them in the oven.
Step 2

Once they are soft enough set them aside on a plate and gently press on them with a fork to flatten them. Do not flatten them too much, you want them to hold together during the sautéing process later on.
Step 3

To make the filling, heat a medium sized nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add 2 tsp olive oil to the pan and swirl the pan to distribute the oil. Add minced garlic and diced onion to the pan and allow to cook stirring constantly until lightly browned. Add ¼ tsp kosher salt to the onions. Add chopped tomatoes and scallions, cook for 1 minute.
Step 4

Then add the sardines to the pan. Break up the sardines into very small pieces. Add another ¼ tsp kosher salt and the lemon juice and stir well. Continue cooking this mixture until no more liquid remains in the pan, about 1-2 minutes over low heat depending on the juiciness of the tomatoes and sardines.
Step 5

Beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Set a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat and heat until the pan is hot. Add 3 tbsp olive oil and wait until it is shimmering. Add the flattened eggplants (you may not be able to fit all the eggplants in the pan at once) cook on the first side for 30 seconds or so and then top the eggplant with a nice layer of filling to the edges.
Step 6

Repeat with the other flattened eggplants in the pan. Drizzle an even amount of beaten egg onto each eggplant. Cook for several more minutes turning the heat down to low if necessary. Tilt the pan and use a spoon to ladle the hot oil over the tops of the eggplant to cook some of the beaten egg on top. Then use a spatula to flip the eggplant over and cook until heat through and browned. Repeat with any other eggplants left. Serve immediately with sliced scallions on top.