Take it with a grain of sea salt

Sea salts have emerged as one of the favored ingredients on the market. From black truffle salt to fleur de sel, salt has been a precious commodity throughout the ages, and it has never been hotter with big purveyors like SaltWorks in Woodinville to small start-ups like Secret Stash** in Seattle who are dishing out high quality products one grain at a time.

5 things to know:
Location, location, location
Let's start with the basics. Salt in general is not only important in food preservation, but it also serves as a flavor enhancer. Sea salts are the higher grade variety which results from the evaporation of sea water. This type of salt, esteemed by epicureans, adds an unexpected flavor and crunch with the range of textures and shapes available. To boot, less is more with sea salt vs. regular table salt because of its vivid flavors—taste more, use less, which is ultimately healthier.

Photo courtesy of SaltWorks

Some of the finest sea salts are harvested from France (coastal area of Guérande in Brittany and Noirmoutier) and along the Mediterranean coast. Sea salt can also be found in the Cayman Islands, Ireland, Maldon and Essex in the United Kingdom, and in parts of United States like Hawaii, Maine, Utah, the San Francisco Bay and Cape Cod.

In Washington, the Puget Sound waters allow The Herbfarm—a beloved restaurant in Woodinville — to make their own sea salt, which demonstrates a commitment to use locally-sourced ingredients including the bounty from their enchanted garden.

You get what you pay for
"Before we started the company, we bought a small jar of fleur de sel (French sea salt harvested by hand) for $16, which we thought was crazy at that time to pay for such a thing," says Naomi Novotny, president of SaltWorks. They now have a 65,000 square foot warehouse in Woodinville that contains 2 million pounds of salt at any given time. "We tried it on edamame and it was a wake-up call. It made such difference in the flavor, we were hooked."

In 2001, Novotny and her partner, CEO Mark Zoske, explored the world of salt, learned about the product and spent time refining this new found hobby from their home. A year later, they quit their jobs, started the company, moved to a warehouse and made salt their bread and butter. "The first jump was a leap of faith. We didn't know if it was going to be successful, but we knew we wanted to give it a try," adds Novotny. "It was going to be our full-time job or not at all. Eight years later, here we are. Who would've thought?"

SaltWorks makes over 100 sea salts including Fleur de Sel (literally "flower of salt" and has also been dubbed the "caviar of sea salts"), smoked sea salts like Fumée de Sel (slowly smoked with aged Chardonnay wine barrels), and the oh-so-pretty-in-pink mineral salts: the Himalayan Pink Salt, Bolivian Rose Fine and Murray River Australian Pink Salt ($9.99-$11.99 for 7.5 to 9 oz. jar). Naturally-flavored sea salts are also on hand with ingredients like wild porcini, aged balsamic, espresso, vanilla bean and black truffle ($9.99-$17.99 for 3.5 to 5 oz. jar).

Cooking with salt
Chef Joseph Conrad (photo at right), executive chef of Ventana and Twist* in Seattle's Belltown (formerly of Qube Restaurant, Chicago's Charlie Trotter and San Francisco's Aqua, Rubicon and 415), advises home cooks to go beyond recipes and step outside the box by trying new things with salt. Chef Conrad, along with his business partner Janna Wemmer (photo below), is also the force behind Secret Stash Sea Salts.** "We make salts that have a wide variety of uses," says chef Conrad. "Take the Lavender Rosemary sea salt for example—it's good on pasta, chicken, pork, salads, vegetables, rice and dessert applications. At the restaurant, I add it on scones for strawberry shortcake." He adds, "We have suggestions on the label of what you can make with it, but that's just a starting point. I want people to enjoy experimenting on their own. That's part of the fun."

This two-person company has risen fast— starting in May 2009 and by January 2010 exhibiting at the Winter Fancy Food Show in San Francisco, introducing their goods to retailers and the broader food community. "Right when we started making the product, that's when more flavored salts hit the market," Chef Conrad says. "So we thought it wasn't just something that we sell every week at the farmers' market, it can actually be a business."

Using natural ingredients, Secret Stash Sea Salts currently offers eight flavors ($10 for 3.5 oz. jars; $15 for the truffle) including Lavender Rosemary (very subtle, non-soapy flavor that even non-lavender fans will enjoy), Niçoise Olive made with black Mediterranean olives, Chorizo (prepared with bona fide chorizo sausage—definitely not for vegetarians), and the Bloody Mary which the chef recommends sprinkling on eggs and steak to bring out their flavors.

The proof is in the pudding
At the 2010 Winter Fancy Food Show—the largest showcase for specialty goods on the West Coast— products with sea salt, along with exquisite chocolates, first-rate olive oil and the finest cheese were in abundance. Combine two of those ingredients and you have a winner in Seattle's own Fran's Salted Caramels. These sumptuous, buttery confections with a dramatic salty finish won fans over proving that salt with sweets produce perfection.

Why use sea salt on desserts? Charles Drabkin, chef instructor at Edmonds Community College Culinary Arts Program, answers, "Why not use it? Sea salt has better flavor and it creates an interesting play in the mouth." He adds, "A lot of people forget using salt on their dessert as they would for savory dishes. Salt intensifies the flavor of the sweets and even a few grains can create a high impact."

Going beyond salted caramels and the usual, Drabkin suggests using sea salt on fresh fruits like watermelon, berries and peaches to make the flavors pop more. Drabkin adds, "Using sea salt on dessert reminds me of Thai food with subtle flavors playing off each other—it makes food very decadent."

Not just for food
In addition to making food delicious, there are thousands of other uses for salt like preventing mold on cheese, keeping milk fresh, removing wine stains, gargling for sore throats and relieving bee stings. With its therapeutic properties, sea salts are also good to bathe with. "What is good for us internally is good for us to soak in," says Naomi Novotny of SaltWorks. "Adding sea salts to the bath can stimulate circulation, ease muscle cramps and help detoxify the skin."

With consumers learning more about sea salt, the future is bright says Novotny. "We've only touched the tip of the iceberg," she adds. "People are just now getting educated about salt."

As a caution, once you use sea salt you can't go back. Novotny says, "Just like using olive oil, there's no reason not to buy what's good for you."

SaltWorks
15000 Wood-Red Rd NE, B-900
Woodinville, WA 98072
1-800-353-7258

Available at QFC, Whole Foods, Metropolitan Market, Sur La Table, specialty cooking shops and online at www.saltworks.us.

Secret Stash Sea Salts**
Available at select Seattle Farmers Markets, Savour in Ballard and online at www.secretsalts.com.

* Both Ventana and Twist are closed.

** Secret Stash Sea Salts closed in 2011. 

Joann Natalia Aquino/ May 2010

Joann Natalia Aquino is a freelance writer covering lifestyle, food and wine, travel, fashion and the arts. She can be reached at missaquino@gmail.com.