Sea Salt has been making it big lately. It is lovingly added to menus as an extra flourish. It is add in recipes to make them seem more sophisticated. This is all because it is being touted by Food Snobs and culinary band wagon wanting to make sure they are part of the latest. This is not to say sea salt and specialty salts do not have there place… but when you are paying $2.00 an ounce you better be damn sure what that place is.

The Facts

In order to be able to salt, salt, the FDA mandates that it must be 97.5% Sodium Chloride. However the FDA mandate stops there. A manufacturer can the salt whatever they want. Sea Salt can actually come from a mine in the middle of the country and lets be honest, it did come from the ocean at one point, it was just a couple of million years ago.

Salt Varieties

Sodium Chloride comes in a number of different shapes and flavors. Since the shape of the salt crystals effect how flavors are absorbed and how the crystal dissolves.

• Table Salt / Iodinized Salt – This is the standard salt we all when we think of salt. It has very small, uniform grains. Mostly recipe measurements count on you using this type of salt. Other varieties will contain more or less saltiness in the same volume, due to how much the grains can compact. It contains iodine, to help prevent deficiencies, and an anti-caking agent to make sure the salt flow freely. Usually comes from mined sources.
• Kosher Salt – This salt also comes from mined sources. The salt grain are larger and flakier. It also does not contain any additives. It got its name because it was traditionally used to prepare meat following Kosher dietary guidelines. Cooks love it because its shape and size make it perfect for sprinkling and helps the salt distribute evenly and adhere to the surface of food. Because the salt is less compact, the same volume of Kosher salt is less “salty” than table salt. This give more control when salting dishes to taste and makes it easier to add small increments. Plus Kosher is also very cheap… no cook should be without it!
• Artisanal / Specialty / Sea Salt – All of these salts come from evaporating sea water. The end result is salt with unique textures and crystalline structures and any of the trace minerals that were in the water. These salts are expensive, ranging from $5 a pound to $20 or more. The good news is that when you are using it properly, you only use a little.

How to Use

I have heard some crazy uses for sea salt recently. One was in a recipe that called for adding it to soup to give it an extra “briny” flavor… I mean come on! All salt is going to give it a briny flavor.

So here is how to figure out if you should use your expensive sea salt or not. What makes sea salt special is its unique color, texture, and trace elements and it should be used in a way that preserve these traits.

The color and trace elements come from the ground where the salt water is evaporated and the minerals and seaweed in the water. Since, by FDA regulation, salt has to be 97.5% pure sodium chloride, salt is mostly salt when you dissolve it in a liquid, all of this additions make up such a small percentage that they become undetectable.

The special evaporation for this salt creates a unique structure and texture that absorbs flavors differently and provides a crunch. To preserve this texture you have make sure that the crystals do not dissolve completely otherwise all the hard work that went into making it is lost.

Best Uses for Sea Salt

• Salads
• Fresh cut vegetables, esp Tomatoes and Cucumbers
• Steaks (debatable, might provide crunchiness if not fully dissolved)
• Fruit… surprisingly can make it taste sweeter and provide a contrasting texture
• Ice Cream, sounds a little crazy and I haven’t tried it yet

An interesting discussion can be found on this here: MetaFilter

A NY Times article that provides some un-needed salt hype: NY Times