Most Folks Misunderstand This Frequent Recipe Step—Right here’s the Repair

You’ve got seen it earlier than: “Salt generously.” “Season throughout.” “Season liberally on either side.” These directions seem in nearly all recipes for steaks, chops, entire birds, entire fish, and roasts—however what do they really imply? How beneficiant is “beneficiant,” precisely? Just a few assured pinches? A thick, snowy crust?

For one thing as important as salting meat earlier than cooking it, this sort of language might be frustratingly imprecise. I as soon as watched two good associates season a whole turkey with a couple of 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 the very 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 beneath on tips on how to apply salt to uncooked proteins earlier than they hit the warmth—how a lot to make use of, tips on how to apply it evenly, and why it issues. It is also price noting that whether or not you intend to dry brine your meat (and also you most likely ought to) or prepare dinner it straight away, seasoning liberally is essential to making sure each chunk is flavorful all through.

Begin With the Proper Salt

Earlier than I can dive into tips on how to salt and the way a lot to make use of, it’s good to begin by choosing the correct salt. There is a cause most restaurant cooks dwell and breathe kosher salt: It is easy to seize, straightforward to see, and simple to manage.

Kosher salt’s barely coarse grains make it ideally suited for seasoning proteins—you’ll be able to distribute it evenly by hand and visually gauge how a lot you’ve got used. Desk salt, in contrast, is far finer and denser by weight. Attempt to “salt generously” with it and you may probably overshoot, ending up with a steak that tastes like a salt lick. (At Severe Eats, we favor Diamond Crystal kosher salt for its gentle, ethereal flakes which can 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 after they’re aiming for extremely managed, replicable outcomes. And that may be useful at occasions—notably whenever you’re cooking one thing delicate. However I strongly really feel that with regards to seasoning a big piece of meat or fish, measuring salt by the spoonful is not sensible.

When 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 needs concentrated blips of salt in a single chunk and blandness within the subsequent.

There’s additionally no dependable approach 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 is not any have to season your workspace.

That is why professional cooks hardly ever measure salt after 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 fantastic thing about visible salting is that you simply get to manage it—it is extra intuitive than it sounds. You are not certain 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 method of cooking.

The best way to Season Meat Like a Professional

When you let go of the measuring spoon, it’s all about coaching your eye, and a bit apply goes a great distance. The aim is to create even, constant protection throughout the floor of the protein so each chunk is correctly seasoned.

• For bigger cuts—akin to ribeye, rack of lamb, thick tuna steaks, entire fish, and entire hen—you are aiming for a good, seen layer throughout the floor. Since you are not seasoning the inside, the outside has to hold the burden. I like to carry the salt a couple of inches above and let it fall evenly till the floor is coated in a wonderful layer that resembles the primary dusting of snow. You must nearly have the ability to hear the faint ring of Christmas chimes as you season.
• For thinner, smaller parts—like a fillet of sole or trout, smaller hen items, or a cutlet—the strategy 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 here are a couple of extra pro-level suggestions that apply to each classes above:

• Sprinkle the salt from a couple of inches above the meat, poultry, or fish. That additional peak helps it fall in a lightweight, even layer, providing you with higher protection and stopping clumps or naked patches.
• Season all sides. Each floor counts, particularly with entire fish or hen. 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 correct salt, eye, and the arrogance to truly 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.

July 2025