You’ve got seen it earlier than: “Salt generously.” “Season throughout.” “Season liberally on each side.” These directions seem in virtually all recipes for steaks, chops, complete birds, complete fish, and roasts—however what do they really imply? How beneficiant is “beneficiant,” precisely? A couple of assured pinches? A thick, snowy crust?
For one thing as important as salting meat earlier than cooking it, this type of language may be frustratingly obscure. I as soon as watched two good mates season a whole turkey with just a few meek sprinkles of salt—it could not have been greater than a teaspoon or two—and name it a day. If that is what they bought from “salt generously,” we’d have an issue.
Right here, I am speaking particularly about salting proteins—meat, poultry, and fish—earlier than cooking for one of the best taste and texture. This is not about seasoning to style, through which you salt a dish as you prepare dinner, adjusting as you go. As a substitute, I am focusing under on the right way to apply salt to uncooked proteins earlier than they hit the warmth—how a lot to make use of, the right way to apply it evenly, and why it issues. It is also value noting that whether or not you propose to dry brine your meat (and also you most likely ought to) or prepare dinner it straight away, seasoning liberally is vital to making sure each chew is flavorful all through.
Begin with the Proper Salt
Earlier than I can dive into the right way to salt and the way a lot to make use of, it’s essential begin by choosing the appropriate salt. There is a motive most restaurant cooks reside and breathe kosher salt: It is simple to seize, straightforward to see, and simple to manage.
Kosher salt’s barely coarse grains make it excellent for seasoning proteins—you may distribute it evenly by hand and visually gauge how a lot you’ve got used. Desk salt, against this, is far finer and denser by weight. Attempt to “salt generously” with it and you may seemingly overshoot, ending up with a steak that tastes like a salt lick. (At Critical Eats, we favor Diamond Crystal kosher salt for its gentle, ethereal flakes which might be straightforward to pinch and distribute evenly.)
Flaky sea salts like Maldon may appear interesting, however their giant, delicate crystals dissolve inconsistently. In addition they are usually much more costly than kosher salt, which could disincline you to make use of sufficient. Save them for ending, whenever you need that crackly, salty pop on a cooked floor.
Why You Ought to Skip the Measuring Spoon
Some recipe builders do embrace exact salt measurements for seasoning giant cuts of meat, particularly once they’re aiming for extremely managed, replicable outcomes. And that may be useful at instances—significantly whenever you’re cooking one thing delicate. However I strongly really feel that relating to seasoning a big piece of meat or fish, measuring salt by the spoonful is not sensible.
Should you measure salt with a spoon, you are prone to pour it on with that very same measuring spoon. Do that, and you may see the issue instantly: The salt clumps in some spots, misses others, and leaves you with patchy seasoning. Nobody desires concentrated blips of salt in a single chew and blandness within the subsequent.
There’s additionally no dependable solution to understand how a lot of the measured salt is sticking to the meat versus falling off onto the board, the counter, or your fingers. There isn’t any have to season your workspace.
That is why professional cooks hardly ever measure salt once they’re seasoning meat. It is a discovered contact, developed over time by watching how salt lands, the way it clings, how a lot protection it provides. However the great thing about visible salting is that you just get to manage it—it is extra intuitive than it sounds. You are not sure to a quantity on a spoon. You are trying on the floor of the meat and studying to acknowledge when it is sufficient. It is a extra intimate approach of cooking.
The way to Season Meat Like a Professional
When you let go of the measuring spoon, it’s all about coaching your eye, and slightly apply goes a great distance. The purpose is to create even, constant protection throughout the floor of the protein so each chew is correctly seasoned.
- For bigger cuts—akin to ribeye, rack of lamb, thick tuna steaks, complete fish, and complete rooster—you are aiming for an excellent, seen layer throughout the floor. Since you are not seasoning the inside, the outside has to hold the load. I like to carry the salt just a few inches above and let it fall evenly till the floor is coated in a advantageous layer that resembles the primary dusting of snow. It is best to virtually be capable to hear the faint ring of Christmas chimes as you season.
- For thinner, smaller parts—like a fillet of sole or trout, smaller rooster items, or a cutlet—the method shifts barely. You continue to need full protection, however with a extra restrained hand. Consider it extra like a misting than a coating: sufficient to cowl the floor, however not sufficient to pile up.
Listed below are just a few extra pro-level ideas that apply to each classes above:
- Sprinkle the salt from just a few inches above the meat, poultry, or fish. That further peak helps it fall in a lightweight, even layer, supplying you with higher protection and stopping clumps or naked patches.
- Season all sides. Each floor counts, particularly with complete fish or rooster. That features cavities, undersides, and tucked-away bits.
Salt Like You Imply It
“Salt the meat generously” is not a throwaway line—it is a name to season with intention. You do not want measuring spoons or calculators. What you want is the appropriate salt, eye, and the boldness to really use it. Watch how the salt falls, see the way it clings, and search for that even coating or gentle misting, relying on what you are cooking. Belief your eyes and your fingers, and you may find yourself with succulent steaks, chops, and roast chickens each time.