Beneath its darkly glossy skin, eggplant remains a mystery to many. Will it be bitter if I don’t salt it? Why does it soak up oil like a sponge? Let’s dispense with the mystery and let this voluptuous vegetable fulfil its rich and meaty purpose.
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.
To salt, just slice the eggplant into rounds, scatter 1 teaspoon of salt on top, leave for 30 minutes, then pat dry. Advertisement
Brining (soaking in salted water) will do the same job but also make the flesh super creamy.
To brine, dissolve 1 tablespoon of salt in 1 cup of boiling water, stir in 1 litre of cold water, and drop in the sliced eggplant. Place a saucepan lid on top to keep it submerged, leave for 1 hour, then drain and pat dry.
Because the eggplant is already seasoned, cut back on any additional salt your recipe may call for in the cooking process.
To fry, heat some good oil in a frying pan, pat dry the salted eggplant, and fry until golden, turning once. As mentioned, eggplant will soak up any oil in sight, so be sure to pre-salt or brine to make it less thirsty.
Baking will use much less oil, with the advantage of being very hands-off. To bake, pat dry the salted eggplant, brush the rounds with olive oil and cook until golden, turning once.
Or cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, brush with olive oil and bake, cut-side down, until soft, flipping over to serve.
You can also bake the eggplant whole. Coat with olive oil and bake in a hot oven for 45 minutes or until partially collapsed. The inside will be a treasure trove of creamy flesh.
Eggplant brings velvety meatiness to vegetable stews and curries. Chop the eggplant and fry briskly in oil until coloured, then add your liquid – canned tomatoes, stock, coconut milk, etc – and simmer for 20 minutes until tender.
For a properly smoky baba ghanoush, first place a layer of kitchen foil around a gas burner element to catch any mess (you can thank me later). Char the eggplant over the gas flame on your cooktop, turning with long-handled tongs until the skin blackens.
Transfer to a hot oven for 20 minutes or until tender, then peel off the skin and drain off the juices. Roughly chop the flesh, and whiz in a blender with a little garlic, sea salt, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of tahini, thinning with water as required. Rich and smoky, earthy and yet creamy, it’s eggplant at its best.Advertisement
Many recipes call for salting and rinsing eggplant before cooking it to draw out its bitterness. Brining can be used instead and has the added advantage of helping the eggplant keep its shape when it’s cooked, whether your recipe calls for baking, frying, or grilling.
For a properly smoky baba ghanoush, first place a layer of kitchen foil around a gas burner element to catch any mess (you can thank me later). Char the eggplant over the gas flame on your cooktop, turning with long-handled tongs until the skin blackens.
Beneath its darkly glossy skin, eggplant remains a mystery to many. Will it be bitter if I don’t salt it? Why does it soak up oil like a sponge? Let’s dispense with the mystery and let this voluptuous vegetable fulfil its rich and meaty purpose.
You can also bake the eggplant whole. Coat with olive oil and bake in a hot oven for 45 minutes or until partially collapsed. The inside will be a treasure trove of creamy flesh.
Or cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, brush with olive oil and bake, cut-side down, until soft, flipping over to serve.
To salt, just slice the eggplant into rounds, scatter 1 teaspoon of salt on top, leave for 30 minutes, then pat dry. Advertisement
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.
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.
The salted eggplant that had been fried was creamier and more luscious. The unsalted fried eggplant was firmer and slightly fibrous.
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.
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.
Salting Eggplant – Kitchen Wisdom – Martha Stewart
FAQ
Is it necessary to soak eggplant in salt water?
How do you prepare eggplant before cooking?
What is the secret to cooking eggplant?
Why do you soak eggplant in water and vinegar?
Why do eggplants need to be soaked before cooking?
Soaking to minimize oil absorption: Eggplants can absorb a significant amount of oil during cooking, especially when frying or sautéing. Soaking the eggplant in saltwater for 20-30 minutes before cooking can help to reduce oil absorption by breaking down the fruit’s cell walls.
What is the best way to cook eggplant?
Sautéing eggplant with olive oil appears to be beneficial to health as it positively affects the composition of phenolic compounds present in eggplant and has a different impact on the adjustment of the colon microbiota and the functionality of this food.
Should I rinse eggplant before cooking?
Many recipes call for salting and rinsing eggplant before cooking it to draw out its bitterness. Brining can be used instead and has the added advantage of helping the eggplant keep its shape when it’s cooked, whether your recipe calls for baking, frying, or grilling.
Should eggplant be dry before cooking?
Pat the surface of the eggplant dry just before cooking. A good meal starts with produce that’s top-notch, and eggplants are no exception. “Bruised, wrinkly, or soft eggplants are well past their peak and are likely to be dry and spongy no matter how you prepare them.