Small Dark Eggplants with Green Olive-Red Onion Dressing

Small dark eggplants tend to be more bitter than other types. The following salt-and-bake technique yields mild, creamy results predictably—or as predictably as any eggplant recipe can. The topping is rich, complex, and somehow mysterious, although the components are not unusual: a mince of tart olives, red onion, and tomato mellowed with a large dose of toasty coriander seeds and freshened with mint. Offer the little boats as a first course, side, or salad. Or serve with rice or wheat pila