Don’t look back or you will turn into a pillar of salt. Don’t
eat salt or you will have high blood pressure. Sprinkle sea salt
liberally over everything. Kosher salt is better than ordinary
salt.
Don’t look back or you will turn into a pillar of salt. Don’t eat salt or you will have high blood pressure. Sprinkle sea salt liberally over everything. Kosher salt is better than ordinary salt.
When it rains it pours. Sprinkle it over icy roads to melt the ice. Throw some over your shoulder to get rid of bad luck. Throw some on the snails that are bothering your garden.
These are just some of the comments received when I asked people to give me their opinions on the latest cooking trend for using sea salt as opposed to using regular processed table salt.
I was looking for some cooking advice, but as you can see from the above comments, salt has a broad data base. And some people can be a little salty.
Most common table salt is refined with additives, whereas sea salt is more natural. By reading the labels on common salt packages you might fine additional ingredients along with sodium chloride. This is due in part to better control the crystals so that table salt can be easily shaken from salt shakers.
Before the additions, salt could cake up in humid climates or when it was raining. So some anti-caking agents were added. That made it a little bitter tasting, so dextrose (sugar) was added to correct the bitterness.
Yes, it will pour but it is not pure, thus it could affect the final taste of the foods being prepared. Read the labels to be sure.
We have become a label-reading society with health concerns being a big issue. We try to wean our way away from additives and preservatives. So, pure sea salt is now the salt in demand.
Salt shakers may be on their way out of fashion since sea salt does not shake out of the little holes.
Salt cellars or salt saucers are back, just like grandma used.
Diners can now pinch on just the right amount of salt for their own tastes. Here is a fun tidbit of information to share with your guests at your next dinner party.
Hundreds of years ago, rock salt was difficult to extract and expensive to transport between castles and provinces. It had to first be broken and then ground between stone wheels. So when the nobility sat at their tables, the salt cellar sat in the place of honor near the host or hostess.
Those who sat near the host were placed “above the salt” as in the place of honor, and those who were seated more than an arm’s reach away were “below the salt” and were reserved for the less fortunate guests.
These days salt is inexpensive and universally available, but it was once used as a method of exchange for goods. Roman soldiers received a salt allowance as part of their pay. Just like other spices and seasonings, some wars were fought over salt mines and salt rights.
Cities that sprung up around salt mining areas are named after the commodity, such as Salzburg, Salisbury and Salt Lake City. Yes, even table salt is now being mined from Utah and it dates to the Jurassic Period of more than 150 million years ago.
Yes, salt is salt and as a cooking and seasoning ingredient, we cannot do without it. For cooking and baking, I recommend fine sea salt, which has been crushed or ground to a fine consistency and is easy to measure and to use.
For table use and for sprinkling over foods before serving, I like to use a coarse sea salt as it offers a nice crunch as well as a pleasant gentle saltiness. Kosher salt is pure coarse salt, just as sea salt. Sprinkle freely!
WATERMELON WITH SALT
Chill a fresh watermelon. Slice and arrange on serving plates.
Sprinkle with fine or coarse sea salt and enjoy. The salt is a perfect balance with the sweetness of the melon.
When the melon is gone, lift the plate to your lips and drink the melon juices that are left.
FRESH CUCUMBERS
2-3 small pickling cucumbers, sliced very thin
2-3 thin slices sweet onion
1/4 cup white wine vinegar or rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
freshly ground pepper, as desired
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Allow to stand refrigerated at least 2 hours, preferable overnight. Serve chilled.
PLANKED SALMON
4 salmon steaks
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame seed oil
zest of one lime
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon Chipotle pepper
4 cloves garlic, slivered
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
Arrange salmon in a shallow pan or dish. Whisk remaining ingredients except for the salt together in a small bowl. Pour the marinade over the fish, turning to coat. Let stand 30 minutes.
Using a cedar plank, season and preheat it to 350 degrees in your oven. Place the salmon into the oval of the preheated plank, drizzle with the marinade.
Sprinkle with the coarse salt and bake about 30 minutes. This can also be cooked on a grill or in a fry pan if desired.
FRESH RED RIPE TOMATOES
Slice tomatoes and arrange on a plate, alternating slices with basil leaves.
Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt, such as the pink colored crystals from Utah. Enjoy!
