Instructions: Place prepared eggplant(

1. in a deep bowl. Salt it heavily with Iodized(3)

table salt(3) while layering it with crushed or broken ice. Weight the salted and iced eggplant down in the bowl with something heavy on top to keep the eggplant submerged. The salt will act as an astringent and draw excess water from the eggplant. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to an hour. Rinse and drain the eggplant thoroughly. Pat dry with paper towels. Rub slices with lemon(4) juice or lemon(4) slices. In a pan or dish, mix 1/2 cup self-rising flour (White Lily is excellent flour) and 1/2 cup very finely crushed Sunshine Krispy Saltine Crackers(5). Add 1/2 teaspoon powdered onion(6) and 1/2 teaspoon garlic(6) powder, if desired.

Add 1/2 teaspoon Iodized(

2. table salt and combine the mixture well. Set the mixture aside. In a separate bowl, combine 2 eggs, slightly beaten, with about a tablespoon of cold water. Add 1/2 teaspoon Iodized(

3. table salt & 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper to the eggs. You can omit the salt if desired, but the eggplant will not be salty from soaking in the salt.

The following ORDER of dipping is extremely IMPORTANT! Dip each slice of eggplant(1. into first the egg mixture, then the cracker(5) mixture and then AGAIN in the egg mixture. Immediately place each slice as dipped into your hot frying pan prepared as follows. Add about 1/4 inch of fresh cooking oil to a hot seasoned black iron frying pan or skillet. Using medium to medium high heat(7), fry prepared slices of eggplant until golden brown on each side, turning once with tongs(8). Be careful not to spatter the hot oil if the eggplant and egg batter is still cold! Drain slices on a rack preferable or on uncoated inexpensive paper plates, or lastly on paper towels when done. Dont stack the slices or they might go soggy on you. Eat immediately. Enjoy and never eat greasy eggplant again.

Note: This is the way we cook fried green tomatoes etc..

(1) Try to buy eggplant which is shiny on the outside, not dull as is often the case.

2. The Green Derby Restaurant is now out of business. It was torn down to make way for buildings near the Jacksonville FL Convention Complex.

3. Nutritionists tell us that Iodized table salt is one of the few sources for Iodine in our diets. Iodine helps prevent goiters and mental retardation in children.

4. Rubbing the eggplant slices with lemon or lemon juice will help prevent them from turning brown.

5. If using cracker meal, be sure it is made from REAL saltine crackers.

The other kind is NOT good. Put saltine crackers in your blender or processor and give them a spin until they are very fine.

6. Onion salt, garlic salt and celery salt are very high in salt content and low in the seasoning ingredient. Dont buy or use them. They are SALT seasoned.

7. A good frying temperature would be about 360 degrees fht. if you are using a thermometer or electric skillet. Otherwise, cook at medium or medium to high temperature.

8. Using tongs to turn the eggplant slices prevents holes that let the grease inside the batter casing. Dont turn with a fork or sharp instrument. If you dont have tongs, use a spatula.

The story has been told of a man who loved eggplant so much, that he asked that his future brides dowry be enough money to keep them in oil for cooking the beloved eggplant. Eggplant has an extreme affinity for grease and will absorb its weight in oil.

Eggplant should still be shiny when purchased. Eggplant has a tendency to be watery and should be salted down heavily and iced for about thirty minutes to an hour before cooking to remove excess water. It will oxygenate and turn brown if held out more than even a few minutes before cooking. This problem can be alleviated if the eggplant is rubbed with lemon juice or lemon slices.

I had never been successful at frying eggplant and my husband, Hugh, and I love it! We had eaten it cooked perfectly though at a restaurant we often ate at in Jacksonville FL when we lived in Orange Park FL. So ...

After we moved to Memphis TN from Orange Park, Florida, I got hungry for some of Mr. Fred Aboods, great "Green Derby" fried eggplant(1) we had enjoyed at his "Green Derby Restaurant" in Jacksonville FL(2.. He served them as a side with his aged beef steaks and with his crisp green salad.

His eggplant was never greasy and was always delicious! I wanted to know his secret, so I wrote to him from Memphis and he graciously sent me his recipe. Here it is - - or, the way I do it, for your enjoyment and with thanks again to Mr. Fred Abood!

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.