Most recipes for eggplant insist you salt it before cooking. Really? In most cases, that’s just not necessary.
After an extended series of experiments, I found you only need to salt eggplant if you’re going to be frying it, and even then only sometimes. If you’re cooking it in some other way — roasting, grilling, steaming — salting has no effect.
And when you are salting eggplant for frying, it takes a lot more than just a quick sprinkle and rinse.
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There are a lot of theories about salting eggplant — and most of those are wrong, too.
The predominant one is that it draws off bitter juices, improving the flavor. In fact, bitterness in eggplant comes either from the variety (those small seedy green Southeast Asian varieties are actually prized for this), or from being over-mature (choose eggplants that are rock-hard to avoid it).
To settle the matter of salting or not, I bought a bunch of eggplants and spent a couple of weekends testing.
First, I sliced up a bunch of eggplant and salted it. Every half hour, I pulled a couple of slices, rinsed them and patted them dry, then cooked them in a skillet with olive oil and on the grill.
Even before cooking, the salted slices looked different from the unsalted. The bowl under the colander that held the salted eggplant had a quarter of an inch of brown water in it, and the slices had turned flimsy.
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So salting had pulled moisture from the eggplant. But after I had cooked them, there was no difference in bitterness, and only a slight difference in saltiness (remember, if you’re salting, season accordingly).
The big difference was in texture — but only for the fried eggplant. The grilled eggplant was the same, salted or not.
The salted eggplant that had been fried was creamier and more luscious. The unsalted fried eggplant was firmer and slightly fibrous.
Despite some claims to the contrary, there was no difference in the amount of oil absorbed between salted and not-salted. Eggplant absorbs a LOT of oil either way.
That difference in texture became more pronounced the longer the eggplant had been salted. Salting for 30 minutes seemed to make only a minor difference. The sweet spot seems to be between 60 and 90 minutes.
So pulling liquid from eggplant by salting does make a difference when frying. What if we took it to the next step? Theoretically, anyway, the more liquid you pulled, the more noticeable the effect.
I ran a second set of experiments, salting and pressing the eggplant under a weight. This time, half the eggplant slices had been salted and stacked in a colander under a weighted plate. Just to double-check, I cooked an unsalted slice alongside.
Again, salting made a difference in texture, but pressing only seemed to be noticeable over extended salting times (more than a couple of hours). Even then, though, the difference was small. It’s a step that can easily be skipped.
So, should you always salt eggplant before frying? Not necessarily; it depends on what you’re looking for in the finished dish.
Though salting works when you want the eggplant to be creamy and tender — such as with parmigiana — in those cases where you want the eggplant to retain its shape and have a slightly firmer texture — such as ratatouille — you can skip it.
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FAQs
"I have rarely found an eggplant that is so bitter that it needs salting. I just cut it up, toss the pieces with olive oil, and start cooking." she says. "The claim is reminiscent of a time when eggplants were more bitter. Today, eggplants are bred not to have that kind of bitterness," Jenkins explains.
Is it really necessary to salt eggplant? ›
Older recipes call for salting eggplant to draw out the bitter juices, but today's eggplants are less bitter (unless very large), so salting is largely unnecessary. It will, however, help the spongy flesh absorb less oil and crisp up like a dream.
How do you remove toxins from eggplant? ›
However, eggplants also contain a substance, solanine, which is used to defend themselves against fungi and insects. It is precisely on this substance that the bitter taste of the eggplants depends. To eliminate it, the most common methods are soaking in water and vinegar and the salt technique.
Should I salt eggplant before making eggplant parmesan? ›
Modern eggplant has had bitterness nearly bred out of it, so many cooks have given up the practice. Salting the slices for eggplant Parmesan is not to prevent bitter flavors, but to season the eggplant itself and, at least in my experience, keep the eggplant from sucking up too much of the olive oil from frying.
Can you skip salting eggplant? ›
Sara Jenkins, chef and owner of Porsena in New York City has cooked many an eggplant in her career and firmly believes salting is unnecessary. "I have rarely found an eggplant that is so bitter that it needs salting. I just cut it up, toss the pieces with olive oil, and start cooking." she says.
How to remove bitterness from eggplant without salt? ›
If you don't want to lose time by salting or soaking, you can always just cut away the seeds. The seeds tend to hold in most of the bitterness, and older eggplants can have a whole lot of seeds. Cut away the inner core of seeds and it should mitigate the bitterness.
How do you get moisture out of eggplant without salt? ›
According to the Kitchn, you can just as easily microwave eggplant to pre-cook it and remove excess water without the added sodium and extra waiting time for it to "sweat" it out.
What do you do after you salt the eggplant? ›
Carefully rinse each piece of eggplant under cold water, making sure you remove all the salt. Drain.
Should eggplant be peeled before cooking? ›
While the skin of a small young eggplant is edible, the skin becomes bitter on larger or older eggplants and should be peeled. When in doubt, the answer to, "Do you peel eggplant before cooking?" is yes, peel it. Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to remove the skin.
Why does my stomach hurt after eating eggplant? ›
Other nightshades like tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants and peppers contain alkaloids, or a form of carbohydrate-binding proteins called lectins that can cause inflammation and digestive issues in some people.
When looking at the exterior of the eggplant, check the stem and cap. Both should be green and fresh-looking. If they are starting to fade in color, that's an indicator that the vegetable may be spoiling. You'll also want to toss the eggplant if there is any mold on the stem or cap.
What are the symptoms of solanine poisoning in eggplant? ›
Solanine poisoning
In more severe cases, hallucinations, loss of sensation, paralysis, fever, jaundice, dilated pupils, hypothermia, and death have been reported. Ingestion of solanine in moderate amounts can cause death.
Can you salt eggplant for too long? ›
Can I salt eggplant and leave it overnight? With the soaking method you can put them in the fridge overnight. With the salt only method the eggplant will oxidize and turn brown after a while.
What is the best oil to fry eggplant in? ›
Heat 1/4 inch of grapeseed oil in a nonstick skillet over medium until hot enough for frying. The ideal temperature for frying eggplant is about 365-375 degrees F. The best way to monitor the temperature is to use a deep fry or candy thermometer; or, you can drop a small piece of bread into the oil.
Why do you soak eggplant in milk? ›
To magically remove the bitterness from the eggplant and greatly improve the texture, soak the eggplant in milk overnight. Once the slices of eggplant have taken a long, luxurious, milky bath, they are tenderized and primed for frying. Simply tap off the extra moisture, dust the eggplant slices with sea salt and flour.
Does eggplant have to be salted and drained? ›
Many recipes call for eggplants to be salted and rinsed to draw out any bitter juices, but this shouldn't be necessary if they're fresh. If the seeds are too defined or feel hard, the eggplant may be old and should be salted.
How to prevent eggplant from absorbing oil when frying? ›
Typically eggplant behaves like a sponge, soaking up heroic amounts of oil when fried. The Terzo Piano chefs use this trick to prevent heavy aubergines: Before frying, soak the strips of eggplant in an ice water bath. They will absorb water and drop in temperature.
