Truly salt of the earth!
In response to my article on the different pepper types last week, I was asked to write about salt.
Salt is the cornerstone in cooking since ancient times and is one of the world’s primary preservatives, for curing meat, fish, and even cheese.
Its value made it one of the earliest traded commodities; Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt. In ancient China, salt taxes funded empires and in India, British salt monopolies started Gandhi’s iconic Salt March in 1930.
Let’s start with table salt - the supermarket staple. It is fine-grained sodium chloride with anti-caking agents and was engineered for precision and shelf-life, not nuance.
Its tiny crystals pack tight, so it tastes ‘saltier’ by volume than flaked or coarse varieties. Ideal for baking and brining, it’s also the cheapest way to season pasta water.
When asked if table salt is actually salt - yes, table salt is real salt, but like sliced white bread compared to sourdough, it’s the streamlined, standardised version - functional, but not fancy. Atlantic sea salt is harvested from the clean waters that wrap our island. Atlantic sea salt is renowned for its bright, clean salinity and irregular crystals that dissolve quickly. Because it’s simply evaporated seawater, it retains trace minerals of magnesium, calcium, potassium that lend a subtle sweetness and minerality. Sprinkle it at the finish on new potatoes, grilled mackerel, or simply on fresh bread with butter and you are supporting Irish food producers.
Kosher salt on the other hand was developed for kosher butchery; large, hollow grains cling to meat surfaces, drawing out moisture for a cleaner cure. In the kitchen it’s valued because the crystals - neither too fine nor too coarse - are easy to pinch and scatter accurately and it’s free of additives.
Fleur de Sel is hand-raked from shallow French pans and forms a delicate crust; it’s airy, snow-white and pricey. A few grains on tomato salad or caramel fudge provide a gentle crunch and burst of ocean.
Himalayan Pink Salt is mined in Pakistan’s Khewra range, its colour comes from iron oxide. Despite wellness-world hype, the mineral content is only marginally higher than sea salt, but the firm crystals resist melting. As a finishing salt, the flavour is mild and the appeal seems to be more visual.
Flake salts like Maldon shatter under the tooth, giving food a sudden sparkle of saltiness. Keep them well-sealed as humidity turns them limp. Excellent on baked cod, chocolate brownies or my favourite late-night slice of cheese on toast.
Black salt (Kala Namak) is an Indian volcanic rock salt kiln-fired with charcoal and herbs, it smells faintly of hard-boiled egg due to sulphur compounds. Vegans use it to mimic yolk in tofu ‘scramble’ and mayonnaise. It loses its signature aroma when cooked long, so add just before serving. I only had it once and wasn’t too keen on it.
Have you ever tried smoked salt? Cold-smoked over woods such as oak, beech or apple, these salts deliver campfire aroma without a smoker. A pinch can lift barbecue dry rubs, chowder or even a Bloody Mary. Butter and smoked salt are great friends that snuggle nicely over scrambled eggs. Check the source though as inferior brands spray liquid smoke rather than slow-smoke the crystals.