Food & Wine's Kay Chun marinates raw eggplant in a bright, vinegary mix of lemon, garlic and basil. She peels and scores the eggplant slices on both sides for extra absorbency. Slideshow: More Summer Salads
How to Make It
In a colander set over a large bowl, toss the eggplant slices with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, tossing occasionally.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk the olive oil with the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, basil sprigs, oregano and crushed red pepper; season lightly with salt and black pepper.
Squeeze all of the water from the eggplants and pat dry. Chop into bite-size pieces. Add to the marinade and let stand for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
Add the tomatoes to the eggplant mixture and toss to coat; discard the basil sprigs and garlic. Transfer to a serving platter and top with the mozzarella and basil leaves.