Abby Fisher's Ham-Stuffed Eggplant (1881)
Eggplant shells filled with cooked eggplant, ham, butter, and bread crumbs, then baked until tender and golden. Adapted from Abby Fisher's 1881 recipe.
- Original yieldYield
- 4 stuffed eggplant halves; 4 side-dish servings4 stuffed eggplant halves4 side-dish servings
- PrepPrep time
- CookCook time
- TotalTotal time
Planning estimate includes an initial shell bake and a final bake. The filling cooks during the initial bake; larger eggplants may take longer.
Published Updated
Original recipe: 4 stuffed eggplant halves; 4 side-dish servings
The story behind the recipe
Eggplant provides both the filling and the dish that holds it. Its scooped flesh meets chopped ham, butter, and bread crumbs, then returns to the shells for baking. The browned crumbs sit above soft vegetable flesh, with no pastry between the filling and the plate.
Drain before stuffing
Abby Fisher's Egg Plant Stuffed asks the cook to boil the scooped flesh, press out the water, and brown the filling before returning it to the vegetable. That sequence gives the dish its character. Raw eggplant mixed straight into ham and crumbs would miss two of its defining stages.
Read more about this recipe
Two parts of one vegetable
Fisher uses just enough water to cover the flesh, then drains or presses it through a colander. The next cooking happens in a pan, where the filling loses its wet sheen and some crumbs take on color. Pressing out the water helps keep that pan stage from becoming another simmer.
The shells need attention of their own. This version uses halved eggplants with the stems and tough caps removed; a first bake starts their cooking while the filling is prepared. That bake is our addition to Fisher's shorter hot-oven finish. A brown topping can't tell you whether the thickest part of a shell is tender, which is why the fork check below matters.
Leave enough flesh around the skin for each half to support itself. A paper-thin shell might look economical, but it has to hold a warm filling and survive being lifted from the baking dish. The eggplant isn't merely a serving decoration.
Ham, crumbs, and butter
Finely chopped ham brings salt and savory flavor through the filling. Butter and plain bread crumbs join it without an extra spice mixture or cheese topping.
Fisher's wording about equal proportions of ham, cracker and bread crumbs, and eggplant leaves the exact relationship uncertain. Our filling uses measured ham and bread crumbs, with no separate cracker quantity. The halved presentation, oil, initial shell bake, and oven guidance are also modern choices. The boiled-and-drained flesh and browned filling remain the link to her preparation.
Four filled halves
Two medium eggplants make four portions here. One half works as a substantial side; two can make a light lunch. Bread isn't essential beside a filling that already contains crumbs, though a green salad can give the plate some freshness and crunch.
Fisher's 1881 What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking records a cook's knowledge through dictation. In the preface she describes decades of experience and the friends who encouraged her book. The stuffed eggplant shows that experience in small, specific directions about water and browning. The companion article explores that practical attention across four recipes.
Make it your wayOriginal: 4 servings · Makes 4 stuffed eggplant halves; 4 side-dish servings
Original recipe: 4 stuffed eggplant halves; 4 side-dish servings
Ingredients
For 4 stuffed eggplant halves; 4 side-dish servings. Quantities are shown as written.
Source measurement convention: Metric. Explicit unit definitions take precedence; unconfirmed measures must be checked before conversion.
Original quantities for 4 stuffed eggplant halves; 4 side-dish servings.
- Medium eggplants (about 350–400 g each)2
- Fully cooked ham (finely chopped)150 g
- Plain dry bread crumbs60 g
- Unsalted butter2 metric tbsp
- Neutral cooking oil2 metric tsp
- Fine salt1/4 metric tsp
- Ground black pepper1/2 metric tsp
Measurement notes
- unsalted butter: tbsp: 1 = 15 ml.
- neutral cooking oil, fine salt, ground black pepper: tsp: 1 = 5 ml.
Measurement notes
Original ingredients
- 2 medium eggplants (about 350–400 g each)
- 150 g fully cooked ham (finely chopped)
- 60 g plain dry bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp unsalted buttertbsp: 1 = 15 ml.
- 2 tsp neutral cooking oiltsp: 1 = 5 ml.
- 1/4 tsp fine salttsp: 1 = 5 ml.
- 1/2 tsp ground black peppertsp: 1 = 5 ml.
Equipment
Rimmed baking sheet
Heavy cast-iron skillet (10 or 12-inch)
Instructions
Heat the oven and hollow the eggplants
Heat a conventional oven to 200°C (400°F). Trim off the eggplant stems and tough green caps, taking as little flesh as possible, then halve the eggplants lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh, leaving a shell about 1 cm thick, and chop the scooped flesh into small pieces.
Bake the eggplant shells
Brush the cut surfaces and hollowed shells with the oil, place cut-side up on the baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes, until they begin to soften. Keep the oven on.
Simmer and drain the eggplant flesh
Meanwhile, put the chopped eggplant flesh in a saucepan and add just enough water to cover it. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 8–10 minutes, until soft. Drain well and press gently in a sieve to remove excess water.
Cook the ham and crumb filling
Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add the drained eggplant, ham, bread crumbs, salt, and black pepper. Cook, stirring, for 5–6 minutes, until the mixture loses its wet sheen and some crumbs turn golden. Scrape the bottom of the skillet as you stir to keep the crumbs from sticking.
Fill the shells and finish baking
Divide the filling among the softened shells, mounding it lightly. Return to the oven for 20–25 minutes, until the filling is golden in places and a fork slides easily through the thickest part of each shell. If the filling browns before the shells are tender, cover loosely with foil and continue baking until tender.
Serve hot
Serve the eggplant halves hot.
Estimated calories 240 kcal
Nutrition portion: 1/4 of recipe · Original yield: 4 stuffed eggplant halves; 4 side-dish servings
Source & assumptions
Ingredient-based estimate using CoFID 2021, USDA SR Legacy (April 2018), identified manufacturer information. Approximately 240 kcal per nutrition portion. Uses two 350 g eggplants, the lower endpoint of the original range. Includes all oil, butter and raw edible eggplant energy, although the filling is drained. Ingredients, brands and preparation affect values.
Recipe notes
When adjusting quantities
Use eggplants of similar size and leave space between the halves. A larger batch needs another tray; keep the shell thickness and doneness checks unchanged.
Original recipe notes
These notes describe the original recipe. Quantities mentioned here do not change when you adjust servings.
Ham: Use fully cooked ham. This is a vegetable dish containing meat; it is not vegetarian. The modest salt baseline allows for the ham's own seasoning.
Shells: Leave enough flesh around the skin to keep each half sturdy. Shell tenderness determines when the dish is ready; use the stated times as a starting guide.
Read the scaling guide. Times, temperatures and equipment need their own consideration. Open the recipe tool to review and correct individual amounts.
Sources and attribution
Adapted from Abby Fisher, What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking (1881), recipe 142, p. 65.
Fisher, Egg Plant Stuffed, recipe 142, p. 65.
Recipe details
- Recipe tradition
- Vintage
- Cuisine
- American
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Cooking method
- Oven
- Main ingredient
- VegetablesPork
- Occasion
- Comfort food
- Browse category
- Main Dishes