How to Salt Eggplant

Co-authored by Jennifer Levasseur

Salting an eggplant can make it less bitter, which is especially important for older eggplants. Salting can also help the eggplant absorb less oil, particularly when you're frying it, and it helps flavor the eggplant by allowing it to pull salt into the vegetable. You have two basic methods you can use, salting it dry and soaking it in saltwater.

Ingredients

Eggplant
Salt
Water (optional)

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Salting the Eggplant Dry

1
Wash and cut the eggplant. Rinse off the outside of the eggplant. You can peel the eggplant if you prefer, but you can also leave the skin on.^{[1]
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Research source} Cut the eggplant to the shape you need for your recipe, such as slices or cubes.^{[2]
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2
Add salt. You'll need a lot of salt for this process, so use more than you think you need, about 1/2 tablespoon for each (medium) eggplant. You can use regular table salt, kosher salt, or whatever you have on hand.^{[3]
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Research source} Sprinkle the salt on, or toss the cubes in the salt. Spread the cubes out in a colander or over a cooling rack, as water will drip off them.^{[4]
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- A medium eggplant is about a pound by weight. If you're eggplant is larger or smaller, adjust the amount of salt in the same ratio. For instance, if you have an eggplant that is 1 1/2 pounds, add 3/4 tablespoon of salt for each eggplant.
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3
Let the cubes rest. This process takes time, as the salt is drawing moisture out of the eggplant. You'll need 30 minutes at the minimum, but you can leave them up to an hour and a half. Watch for moisture beading up on the eggplant, which is what you want.^{[5]
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4
Rinse the salt off. Run the eggplant under water for a minute or two, making sure you get most of the salt off. Leaving too much salt on will make the final dish too salty.^{[6]
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5
Press the eggplant dry. For most applications, you want to dry the eggplant off as much as possible. Place the eggplant between two paper towels, and press it down on a hard surface with your hand, which will remove much of the water. Use immediately.^{[7]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Soaking Eggplant in Saltwater

1
Cut the eggplant. If you're using small eggplants (such as Japanese eggplants, which are about the size of a small apple), you can simply peel some of the skin off (about half of it in stripes), or poke holes in it with a fork. For larger eggplants (such as the typical American ones that weigh in at a pound), cut it into cubes or slices, whatever you need for the final dish.^{[8]
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2
Create your saltwater. Get a bowl big enough for the eggplant to soak in. Add room-temperature tap water to it, leaving room for the eggplant. Pour in salt. You'll need about a tablespoon per cup or two of water. Mix it up to dissolve the salt.^{[9]
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3
Soak the eggplant. Place the eggplants in the bowl. Mix the water and eggplant around to get the process started. Leave the eggplants to soak in the water. You'll want them to soak for about 30 minutes or so. Drain the water off at the end, but you don't need to rinse the eggplant off with this method.^{[10]
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4
Pat dry. Before cooking, you should pat the eggplant dry between paper towels. It can help to press down slightly on it to release a bit of the water. Use the eggplant immediately.^{[11]
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Research source} This method works especially well before frying eggplant since it will crisp up more evenly.

References

More References (2)

Community Q&A

Question

Can I salt eggplant and leave it overnight?

StephInfection

Community Answer

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.