There may be those who seek not gold, yet there never lived a man who desires not salt.

- Secretary to the Ostrogothic King of Italy 528 CE

Like many of you I started out cooking with good ol’ table salt and then, after watching the Food Network, moved to Kosher salt. But the world of salts, my friends, is oh so much grander than we imagined! As you will see there are distinctions between industrialized and natural salts, and further diversities between sea and rock salts.

Industrialized salts are stripped of their minerals which diminishes their nutrition and flavor, and may mean that you may have to use a higher amount to season your food to your liking.  Americans typically consume too much sodium in their diets, and industrialized salts influence that overuse. Kosher salt, the choice of many cooks, and table salt, both industrialized seasonings, lose their natural variations in flavor due to processing. For these reasons natural salts are the better choice not only for flavor, but good health!

Rock salt is just what you think– rock. Mined by people around the world in mountainous areas rich with hidden salt deposits left behind thousands of years ago by evaporated lakes, rock salt has contributed to some of our favorite cured meats, like Prosciutto, and made a great many community wealthy along the way.

Sea salt, as its name suggests, is evaporated sea water and rich with minerals. The flavor, though it varies greatly, is often reminiscent of the ocean and boasts a light and flakey texture.

One of the most amazing properties about natural salts is that no two are identical. Just as terroir impacts the aroma and taste of wine (the land from which the grapes are grown imparts a unique quality that is specific to that region), so too is the flavor of salt influenced by its origin.  Variety of flavor remains a property of natural salts, however industrialized salts, such as table and Kosher, do not vary much from one to the other.

I’ve moved away from using Kosher salt now and am happily enjoying the more complex flavors of Sel Gris (French grey salt) as my go-to cooking salt and what a difference!

We carry a variety of artisan salts from local SaltWorks, who boost the largest selection of specialty salts available.

Sel Gris is an unrefined evaporated sea salt whose gray hues denote a high mineral content and moist clumps reveal its freshness. The flavor profiles vary between sel gris depending on their origins, but generally you can expect briny, mineral, chlorophyll and earthy undertones. The crystals also vary in size from fine to coarse and can be used in finishing or general cooking.

We carry many sea salts in addition to Sel Gris, like the Salish Alder Smoked and Alea Hawaiian Sea Salt, which are two must-haves for anybody curious about exploring the world of natural artisan salts! Salish Alder Smoked is made from smoked Pacific sea salt and offers a unique and smoky flavor when cooking, as a rub on fish and game meat, or sprinkled on steamed vegetables or mashed potatoes.

Alea Hawaiian Sea Salt has a stunning red color and flavors reminiscent of the ocean. This salt is ideal to garnish the rim of your Bloody Mary or sprinkle over fresh mozzarella.

We also carry popular Himalayan Pink Salt Slabs, in natural round and rectangle sizes, which is believed to be the purest salt available

today because the crystals have been protected from modern impurities by volcanic rock over 200 million years.

Imparting a slightly salty flavor, the salt slabs are a unique way to cook, grill, or chill your food for a distinctive and tasteful presentation. Himalayan Pink Salt has a slightly metallic flavor with subtle clay-notes and can even be grated or ground for baking, seasoning venison and buffalo steaks, shaving over sashimi, and garnishing your negroni rim.

If you’re wondering how to use a Himalayan salt plate, we took this delicious recipe from Mark Bitterman’s recently released book Salted:

Grill-Fired Bacon and Eggs – Serves 2

1 8x8x2 (at minimum) Himalayan Pink Salt Slab

4 large eggs

8 slices baguette

2 Tbs olive oil

4 thick slices of bacon

Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

1. Put the salt slab on a grill, set to low, and heat. After 15 min, increase to med heat and after another 15 min., increase heat to high. Leave on high for 15 min.

2. Crack eggs into individual ramekins and set aside

3. Brush bread slices with olive oil and set aside

4. Lay bacon slices parallel to each other on the slab and cook until sizzling and browned on bottom, (~3 min.), then flip and brown other side.

5. Gently pour 2 eggs on top of 2 bacon strips and the other 2 eggs between the other 2 bacon strips, being careful to guide the eggs so they land on top of the bacon.

6. Toast the bread on the grill, then place on a plate with the bacon and eggs, season with pepper and enjoy!

It’s time to throw that boring and depleted industrialized salt over your shoulder and embrace the flavor and nutrition of artisan salts! Come in and talk to an associate today to help you discover a more tasty and healthy way to season your food!

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