The Best Way To Prep Canned Jackfruit Before Cooking

If you have never seen a whole jackfruit in person, it can be pretty intimidating. Being the largest tree-born fruit in the world, jackfruits can reach up to two feet in length and weigh as much as 40 pounds. Naturally, when you come across one, your mind immediately fixates on the daunting task of carrying it out of the store or fitting it in your car — let alone how you'll break it down once you get home.

The fruit's sheer size combined with its thick, reptile-like skin is enough to scare anybody away — right to the canned food aisle, that is. There you can find the giant tropical fruits conveniently split, cut, de-bulbed, de-seeded, and ready to be used in your tacos, sandwiches, curries, or eaten straight from the can. However, even in all of their canned convenience, jackfruit does require a bit of prepping before cooking and there's a certain way to do it.

As with other canned fruits and vegetables, canned jackfruit usually comes in a brine solution made from a mixture of salt and water or sodium chloride. The solution is intended to help preserve the fruit so that by the time you open the can it will have maintained its color, texture, and flavor. However, because the Heart Foundation warns people about the sodium content of canned foods, it's best that you rinse canned vegetables, including your jackfruit, prior to cooking them. Not only will your heart thank you, but whatever seasonings you add won't be competing with the salt of the brine.

As you're rinsing your jackfruit, you may also notice that they come in large chunks. While you can leave them as they are, it's recommended that you trim them because some may contain parts of the jackfruit's core. This is particularly more important if you plan to eat your jackfruit raw, as the texture of the core isn't as noticeable once the fruits have been cooked. Again, the canned jackfruit is perfectly safe to eat straight out of the can, but it tends to taste best warm and with seasoning. If you're craving the fruit in a meal, try making our pulled jackfruit tacos recipe that features the perfect flavor balance of garlic and minced serrano chiles.