Do You Actually Need to Salt Eggplant?

I’ve skipped eggplant recipes several times after I saw the recipe calls to salt the eggplant and wait at least 30 minutes or more before cooking it. Tacking on an additional 30 minutes to the amount of time it takes to make dinner is excruciating, especially after a long day. I’m sure I’m not alone in this plight, but then I asked myself if the step was really necessary despite most recipe suggestions. After a bit of research, here’s the truth about salting eggplant.

Recipes call for salting eggplant to reduce bitterness, specifically in older and overripe eggplants. In truth, sprinkling eggplant with salt before cooking doesn’t reduce bitterness as much as you might think. Eggplant is an old fruit (and yes, eggplants are fruits). China and India claimed eggplant’s origin before it reached Europe and the Americas, but cultivation records for eggplants date back as far as 50 BC. Back then, eggplants were very bitter. No one really knows who came up with the idea of salting eggplants to help take the edge off their astringency, but the technique kept getting passed down from generation to generation. Farmers eventually experimented with weeding out the less desirable qualities like bitterness in produce, and today, most eggplants available at the grocery store and farmer’s market are bred without bitterness.

Bitterness isn’t as much of a factor, but pre-salting eggplant does have another purpose: It is an effective way to draw out excess moisture. When cooking, this can be a double-edged sword for the ultra-absorbent eggplant. On the one hand, eggplants are a foundation for soaking in flavor and fat, like in this eggplant Parmesan. At the same time, they can absorb too much fat and turn soggy. Pre-salting dries out the eggplant, which prevents it from absorbing too much oil or fat, which makes it especially beneficial when frying eggplant; it can help give it a crisp exterior and creamy interior. The easiest way to salt eggplant is on a large baking sheet lined with paper towels. Start by cutting your eggplant into slices, rounds, or cubes. Lay the eggplant on the baking sheet, sprinkle generously with salt on both sides and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. Rinse the eggplant to remove excess salt and pat it dry with paper towels.

While frying eggplant is the best case pre-salting, it’s more obsolete for baking and roasting recipes. Why? It’s all about timing. “I wouldn't bother salting if you have a long cooking time, as the eggplant will eventually break down and become creamy,” says Anna Theoktisto in the Food & Wine Test Kitchen. If you have a quick cook time, it would probably be beneficial to salt to get a better texture on the end product.”

Here’s the final takeaway: Salting eggplant is like breaking a sweat on an escalator. You can do it, but even without it, you’ll still end up with a delicious meal. Plus, who doesn’t want their dinner to be ready faster?