How To Salt Eggplant (2024)

Why Salt Eggplant

If you’re new to preparing eggplant for cooking, you might be wondering, “Is salting eggplant necessary?” The short answer is no. Because thanks to the advancements made in eggplant farming, most of the time, salting eggplant is not necessary. For most recipes, I simply slice up the veggie and get cooking!

However, if we go back in time and look back at when people first began to cook eggplants, the vegetable had a bitter taste. They came up with this salting process to help get the bitterness out of the eggplant before cooking it, thereby making it more palatable.

Since then, however, farmers have bred out much of eggplants’ signature bitterness. As Deborah Madison says in her cookbook New Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (affiliate link):

“Eggplant that’s freshly picked, harvested before it’s full of seeds, and eaten within a few days is naturally sweet and doesn’t need salting.”

Deborah Madison

Ingredients

To purge eggplant, you will need globe eggplants and salt.

Though I am using a globe eggplant—the thicker, more spherical kind of eggplant most often found in the U.S.—you can use this technique to salt other types of eggplant (such as Japanese eggplant).

How to Purge Eggplants

Preparing aubergine is a cinch when you have these two methods on hand. Whether you prefer sweating eggplant or prefer brining it, you’ll find all you need right here.

Method 1: Sweating Eggplants

The first method of salting eggplant—“sweating”—requires zero added liquid. Instead, a generous layer of salt does all the work. Now you can learn how to sweat eggplant in just five easy steps.

1. Wash and slice the eggplant: Wash the eggplant under cold water and dry it with a kitchen towel. Then, slice off the stem and cut the eggplant as desired (both cubes and slices will work).

2. Sprinkle eggplant with salt: Generously sprinkle your slices with salt, being sure to cover both sides of the eggplant. I recommend using 1 to 2 teaspoons of kosher salt per eggplant depending on the size.

3. Let the eggplant sit: Place the seasoned eggplant over a colander for 30 minutes to an hour. Once beads of moisture start to appear, rinse your eggplant slices under cold water and remove excess salt.
4. Dry the eggplant: Layer a baking sheet with a couple of sheets of paper towels and arrange the drained eggplant slices on top. Then, take another sheet of paper towel and gently press each piece, removing as much excess moisture as possible. Repeat these steps with all remaining slices of eggplant.

Method 2: Brining Eggplants

Soaking eggplant in salt water—also known as “brining”—is another easy way to prepare eggplant. Make a bowl of salt water, add your eggplant slices, and let time work its magic in this simple process.

1. Wash and slice the eggplant: Wash the eggplant under cold water. Then, dry it with a kitchen towel and slice off its stem. Next, cut the eggplant as needed (either cubes or slices will work).
2. Make the saltwater bath: Fill a large bowl with cool water and stir in a tablespoon of kosher salt.
3. Soak the eggplant: Place the vegetable pieces in the brine, submerging each slice of eggplant in the water. If necessary, you may place a small plate on top to ensure no pieces float to the surface. Let the eggplant soak in the salt water for 30 minutes to an hour.
4. Drain the brine: Drain the eggplants and rinse them with cold water.
5. Dry the salted eggplant: Line a baking sheet with paper towels, and place your drained slices on top in a single layer. Then, use a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to press down on the pieces, drying out the eggplant with gentle pressure.

How to Store

If you’re looking for easy meal prep, these expert storage tips are for you! Not a single bite of your brined eggplant will go to waste when you have this neat guide at your disposal.

• Storage: Once you have prepared eggplant in brine or sweated your slices, store them in an airtight container. Your eggplant will remain fresh for 1-2 days.
• To freeze: To freeze your prepared eggplant, place it in a plastic bag and squeeze out as much air as possible before sealing. The eggplant can remain in the freezer for up to a month. Let the eggplant thaw in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours before using.

Eggplant Recipes You Might Like

Now that you know how to salt and prepare eggplant for cooking, here are a few recipes you can use eggplant along with a few different ways of cooking it:

• Roasting Eggplant on Stove
• Sauteed Eggplant
• Roasted Eggplant Halves
• Roasted Whole Eggplant
• Eggplant Involtini
• Turkish Eggplant Dip
• Karniyarik Recipe – Aka Turkish Stuffed Eggplant

If you try any of these methods for salting eggplant, please take a minute torate the recipeand leave a comment about your experience below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. And if you took some pictures, be sure to share them onInstagramusing #foolproofeats so I can share them on my stories.