How To Salt Eggplant Recipe
Serves 1
5 mins prep
30 mins Resting time
35 mins total
Learn how to salt eggplant to remove its bitterness using two simple methods. Purging eggplant might be the easiest way to make it taste better. So, next time you are cooking an eggplant dish follow these steps to prepare your eggplant for a perfectly seasoned and bitter free recipe.
Method 1: Sweating Eggplants
Wash and slice the eggplant: Wash the eggplant under cold water and dry it with a kitchen towel or a paper towel. Then, slice off the stem and cut the eggplant as desired.
Sprinkle eggplant with salt: Generously sprinkle eggplant slices* with one to two teaspoons of salt, being sure to cover season them on both sides.
All the eggplant slices sweat: Place the seasoned eggplant in a colander for 30 minutes to an hour. Once little droplets of moisture start to appear, rinse your eggplant slices under cold water to remove excess salt.
Pat-Dry the eggplant: Layer a baking sheet with a couple of sheets of paper towels and arrange the drained eggplant slices on top. Using another sheet of paper towel, gently press each piece to remove as much excess moisture as possible. Repeat these steps with all remaining slices of eggplant.
Method 2: Brining Eggplants (aka Soaking Eggplant in a Salt Water Bath)
Wash and slice the eggplant: Wash the eggplant under cold water. Then, dry it with a kitchen towel and slice off its stem. Next, slice the eggplant as needed (either cubes or steaks/slices will work).
Make the salt water bath: Fill a large bowl with cold tap water and stir in a tablespoon of kosher salt.
Soak the eggplant: Place the eggplant slice in the brine, submerging each slice of eggplant in the water. If needed, place a small plate on top to ensure no pieces float to the surface. Let them soak for 30 minutes to an hour.
Drain and rinse them with cold water.
Dry brined eggplant slices: Line a sheet pan with a few sheets of paper towels, and place your drained slices on top in a single layer. Then, use a few paper towels to press down on the pieces, drying out the eggplant with gentle pressure.
