A Salt Sampling

Check out our August issue for the feature “The Magic of Specialy Salts.”

If you’re intrigued enough to explore the use of specialty salts, Mark Bitterman, owner of The Meadow in Portland, Oregon, has a word of advice: Above all else, get over the idea that specialty salts are too precious to waste and should only be used for the fanciest of occasions. Instead, he insists, use them in everyday cooking. “Consider salt the final and most important quality ingredient in your kitchen.”

Here’s a sampling of what’s on the market right now:

• Pangasinan Star Fleur de Sel: While Bitterman starts most customers with a French fleur de sel, his favorite, Pangasinan Star, originates in the central Philippines. “It has slightly larger, billowy crystals and has a rather warm, full, but mild flavor,” he says. Or for a fanciful introduction to artisan salts, The Meadow (www.atthemeadow.com) offers a set of six varieties from around the world.

• HimalaSalt: Eco-activists concerned as much with the planet’s health as their own may want to check out Sustainable Sourcing. Its HimalaSalt Himalayan Sea Salt (www.himalasalt.com) is ancient, created 250 million years ago. Ethically hand-harvested from a protected source and stone-ground to preserve essential minerals, HimalaSalt products are also eco-packaged, kosher, and organic and have a pretty pink hue. Five percent of profits go to protecting the environment. Try the fine-grain HimalaSalt shaker for everyday use or the hand-carved Zen Cube.

• Australian Murray River Salt Flakes: Australian Murray River Salt Flakes are a good choice for home cooks and the country down under, says Didi Davis, owner of Salt Traders (www.salttraders.com). “The Murray-Darling basin in Australia experiences low rainfall and high evaporation, and these two acts of nature come together and create concentrated salt in the groundwater. Because this salinity has been affecting Australia’s vital water supply and agricultural land, it is the country’s worst environmental problem,” she explains. “The production of Murray River Salt Flakes stimulates removal of salt from sensitive areas. The salt is produced by feeding the water from the basin into crystallizer ponds, where it is naturally evaporated under the hot sun. A reddish pigment is secreted from the algae, giving the delicate salt flakes their beautiful apricot hue. We love this on salads and fish and especially as a rimmer for cocktails.”

• Matcha Salt: Truffles & Salt: Rachael Sheridan, gourmet buyer for Cube (www.cubemarketplace.com), an online and brick and mortar gourmet market that sells numerous salts, says Cube’s own rare salts are second to none. She likes Matcha Salt, a blend of young matcha tea leaves that are dehydrated and ground to a powder and then mixed with Cube Selection Okinawa Salt. Sheridan says this gorgeous pale green pick is a “perfect and unexpected addition when sprinkled on top of any crudo dish, as well as on vanilla ice cream and cantaloupe.”

You can also head to Cube for salts from Cassina Rossa, which specializes in lavish blends such as Truffle & Salt and Saffron & Salt. Sheridan says the Truffle & Salt, a blend of ground Italian black truffle and sea salt, is best used as a special occasion condiment. “A little goes a long way. Sprinkling on a little of this unique salt adds a truly gourmet and upscale touch to a variety of inexpensive foods, including popcorn, French fries, homemade potato chips, and scrambled eggs,” she says.

• Brazilian Sea Salt: Daniela Massey, lead product developer for The Spice Hunter (www.spicehunter.com), says the crunch, sparkle, and zest of Brazilian Sea Salt, harvested off the eastern coast of South America, enhances both the flavor and presentation of entrées and desserts, as well as citrus flavors such as lemon and orange.

• Hawaiian Sea Salt: Volcanic Black Hawaiian Sea Salt available from Salt Central (www.seasaltcentral.com) is naturally harvested and sun dried on Hawaii’s exotic islands. Activated charcoal gives this salt its dark color. Try it on pasta, grilled meat, or fish. Also available is Volcanic Red Hawaiian Sea Salt, with remnants of red clay known in the state for its health properties.

• Chardonnay Smoked Fleur de Sel: This fleur de sel, smoked over oak wine barrels once used to age fine Chardonnay, gives food just a hint of smoke and a soft saltiness. Use as a finishing salt on salads or to season baby leeks, bok choy, or baked halibut (www.indiatree.com).

• Espresso Salt: Feeling adventurous? Try one or many from SaltWorks’ Fusion line of naturally flavored sea salts (www.seasalt.com ). A popular addition to chocolates and other desserts, its Espresso Salt can also be utilized in entrees. Mix it into your next steak rub or marinade for a coffee kick.

— Juliann Schaeffer; photos courtesy of Mark Bitterman