Use Flaky Sea Salt

Flaky (sea) salt is making big inroads into the restaurant industry as a garnish, not just as an ingredient. It makes a big difference to many dishes and is worth using at home as well. Here are some suggestions for your home usage.

Steps

1. Look for certain qualities in flaky salt:
   • Crisp crunch
   • Gentle, mild, sweet flavour
   • Avoid flaky salt that tastes bitter or too reminiscent of the sea
2. Add to salads. Pour a little flaky sea salt over the top of a salad as both a garnish and final seasoning. It makes the salad really come to life.
3. Use as a crust on meats and fish. Coat as normal with oil, butter or water and add flaky sea salt.
4. Add to phyllo (filo) pastry dishes. Make sure to coat the pastry in olive oil first before sprinkling on a little flaky sea salt prior to baking.
5. Use in baking and desserts. Where salt is called for, use flaky salt in place of ordinary salt. It is not at all unusual for chefs to be adding the salt as a garnish, liberally sprinkling salt over ice cream, mousse etc.

Tips

• Whilst good quality flaky salt may be costly, you will not use it up too quickly and it is definitely worth the additional cost in the flavour returns given.
• Flaky salt is formed by placing in pans to evaporate. The resulting salt is uneven in size and shape, hence the flakiness. However, the taste is better than salt which is processed differently. Pan evaporation is many thousands of years old.
• Numerous chefs believe that the best quality sea salt comes from the English East Coast, where production of flaky sea salt has been occurring for centuries. However, French, Australian and New Zealand sea salt brands are also highly recognized for their quality. It is best to experiment to see which type best suits your needs and tastes. The salt brand pictured above is considered to be a high quality one by some chefs.

Warnings

• Be aware that most varieties of sea salt are not iodized. Thus, if this is your only source of salt, you might be risking goitre. Look for iodised versions or find other sources to add to your diet. Speak with your doctor or nutritionist if you are not certain.

Things You'll Need

• Flaky sea salt
• Recipe

Related Articles

• Make Sea Salt
• Eat Less Salt

References

See also

• Grind Pepper Using a Mortar and Pestle
• Choose the Right Salt
• Separate Sand and Salt
• Make Rock Salt
• Make Sea Salt
• Use Salt Around the House
• Use Epsom Salt

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