Why You Should Salt Your Watermelon Before Eating It

Adding salt to watermelon can feel like ruining a sweet flavorful fruit, when it is done for the first time. But it is an easy way to make the taste more enhanced. A little pinch can make its natural sweetness stand out more.

We here at the Cooking Office enjoy simple food hacks with a clear explanation and this one is a perfect example.

Salt Makes the Sweetness Stand Out

The flavor of watermelon can sometimes be subtle. It’s also sweet, sour and slightly bitter.

Some bitterness can be reduced by using salt. Salt doesn’t add any sugar to the fruit, just a change in flavor balance.

Salt also adds contrast — This is why cookies, caramel, and chocolate desserts are often flavored with a pinch of salt. The idea is not to make a salty taste but to enhance the taste experience.

It Can Help a Bland Watermelon

Not all watermelons are ripe and sweet. Sometimes a melon seems ripe but doesn’t taste as sweet as one would expect.

A sprinkle of salt can add zest to a bland slice by emphasizing the sweetness already present. It might not be able to make an unripe watermelon ripe but may make a less than perfect one taste better.

Use Less Salt Than You Think

It is important to use a very small amount. Don’t over-salt, as it will overpower the fruit and give an undesirable flavor.

Here is a simple technique:

• Cut a fresh slice of watermelon.
• Add a little bit of salt
• Eat a bit before adding more.

A few kosher or sea salt flakes will give more powerful salt contrasts, and fine salt spreads easily. Just pick the one you like.

Eat It Soon After Salting

When cut produce is in contact with salt, it can lose moisture. Watermelon gets less crisp as it stays on the shelf for a longer time when being heavily salted.

The best time to add salt is when you are about to eat the fruit, rather than many hours ahead of time and salting a large bowl of watermelon.

Other Flavors Work for the Same Reason

Watermelon also complements salty, sour and spicy ingredients. It’s important to note that feta cheese gives some salty contrast, lime gives some acidity, and chili-lime seasoning gives multiple contrasting flavors.

The next time you cut a watermelon, take one slice and season it with a little salt, and leave another slice without salt, and compare the difference. You might find out why this simple food tradition is still popular after all these years.