Salting eggplant before cooking it is a common practice, but it's not always necessary. The purpose of salting is to remove any bitterness and excess moisture from the eggplant. If you have a younger, fresher eggplant, you may not need to salt it at all. However, if the eggplant is on the larger side, you may consider salting it. To do so, slice the eggplant and sprinkle salt on each piece. Let it sit for about 30 minutes, then rinse the salt off and pat dry. This will not only remove any bitterness, but it will also help the eggplant cook more evenly. Don't forget to adjust the salt later in the recipe to account for this.