Most people do not understand this common recipe step – there is the fix

You have already seen it: “Salt generously.” “Enter everywhere.” “Seizure generously on both sides.” These instructions appear in almost all recipes for steaks, chops, whole birds, whole fish and roast – but what do they really mean? To what extent is it generous “generous”? Some confident pliers? A thick and snowy crust?

For something as essential as salting before cooking it, this type of language can be frustrating and vague. I watched once two good friends season an entire turkey with a few sequins of salt – it couldn’t be more than a teaspoon or two – and call it one day. If that’s what they got “salt generously”, we could have a problem.

Here, I specifically speak of salting proteins – mat, poultry and fish –Before Cooking for the best flavor and the best texture. This is not a taste for taste, in which you salur a dish while you cook, adjusting as you go. Instead, I focus below how to apply salt to raw proteins before hitting heat – how to use, how to apply it uniformly and why it is important. It should also be noted that if you plan to dry the brine of your meat (and you should probably) or cook it right away, the seasoning generously is the key to guarantee that each bite is tasty everywhere.

Start with the right salt

Before you can dive into the way of salt and how much use, you must start by selecting the right salt. There is a reason why most restaurant chefs live and breathe kosher salt: it is easy to grasp, easy to see and easy to control.

The slightly coarse salt grains make it ideal for seasoning proteins – you can distribute it evenly by hand and visually assess the quantity you have used. Table salt, on the other hand, is much finer and dense in weight. Try “salt generously” with him and you would probably go beyond, you will find with a steak that tastes of salt licking. (At Serious Eats, we promote kosher salt in diamond crystal for its light and ventilated flakes which are easy to pinch and distribute uniformly.)

Sea salts leafed through like Maldon may seem attractive, but their great delicate crystals dissolve incoherently. They also tend to be much more expensive than kosher salt, which could reprimand you to use enough. Record them for the finish, when you want this cracked and salty pop on a cooked surface.

Why should you skip the spoon as

Some recipe developers include precise salt measures for the seasoning of large cuts of meat, especially when they target highly controlled and reproduced results. And it can sometimes be useful, especially when you cook something delicate. But I strongly think that when it comes to seasoning a large piece of meat or fish, the measurement of salt by the spoonful is not practical.

If you measure the salt with a spoon, you are likely to pour it with the same spoon as you go. Do this, and you will see the problem immediately: salt set in certain places, lacks others and leaves you with an unequal seasoning. No one wants salt strokes concentrated in a bite and blandness in the next.

There is also no reliable way to know how much salt measured sticks to the meat and fall on the board, the counter or your fingers. There is no need to season your workspace.

This is why pro chefs rarely measure salt when they season the meat. It is a learned touch, developed over time by looking at how salt landed, how it clings, what a blanket it gives. But the beauty of visual salting is that you can control it – it is more intuitive than it seems. You are not linked to a number on a spoon. You look at the surface of the meat and learn to recognize when it is enough. It is a more intimate way to cook.

How to season meat as a pro

Once you have abandoned the spoon up, it is a question of forming your eye, and a little practice goes very far. The objective is to create uniform and coherent coverage through the surface of the protein so that each bite is properly seasoned.

• For larger cuts– Like Ribeye, lamb rack, thick tuna steaks, whole fish and whole chicken – you aim for a uniform and visible layer through the surface. Since you do not have the interior, the exterior must carry the weight. I like to keep the salt a few centimeters above and drop it evenly until the surface is covered with a beautiful layer that looks like the first sprinkling of snow. You should almost be able to hear the slight ring of Christmas carillons while you season.
• For thinner and smaller portions– Like an sole or trout net, small pieces of chicken or an cutlet – the approach moves slightly. You always want a complete blanket, but with a more limited hand. Think more like a misting than a coating: enough to cover the surface, but not enough to accumulate.

Here are some additional level tips that apply to the two categories above:

• Sprinkle the salt a few centimeters above meat, poultry or fish. This additional height helps it to fall into a light layer, even by offering you better coverage and preventing tufts or naked patches.
• Season all sides. Each surface counts, in particular with whole fish or chicken. This includes the cavities, the underneath and the hidden bits.

Salt as you thought

“Salt the Meat generously” is not a disposable line – it is a call to season with intention. You don’t need to measure spoons or calculators. What you need is good salt, with a good eye and the confidence necessary to use it. Look how salt falls, see how it hangs on and search for this even or light coating, depending on what you cook. Trust your eyes and your fingers, and you will end up with succulent steaks, chops and roasted chickens each time.

July 2025