3 Reasons to Use the Best Sea Salt for Cooking

The next time you reach for the salt when cooking, take a moment to consider the historical significance of this basic flavoring element. Egyptians were the first to embrace the preservation qualities of salt.

These days, we have access to countless varieties of the best sea salt for cooking and use it more for flavor enhancement than survival. Most of us reach for the basic table salt, though. This is doing your recipes a disservice.

This guide will give you three reasons to choose sea salt for your day-to-day cooking.

1. Natural Harvesting

To gather sea salt, all you need is saltwater, sun, and wind. This minimizes the handling and virtually all of the processing. This makes it a healthier and more natural option than iodized table salt.

To harvest sea salt, seawater gets collected in shallow marshes. Then over time, the water evaporates, and the salt gets left behind. Think of this process like water droplets drying on your car and leaving water spots, only on a much larger scale.

When the only thing left is the salt, it gets scraped up and collected. The salt is then cleaned to make it safe for human consumption. This method of collection is centuries old.

2. Unique Flavor

Kosher salt, which is a large, coarse grain salt, has a clean flavor. It’s also slightly richer and more rounded out than regular table salt. It doesn’t have the same harsh salty bite that iodized salt has.

The main component in both types of salt is sodium chloride. But sea salt has a slightly more complex mineral structure. This is because it’s salt that’s taken directly from the sea.

It has traces of other minerals and elements that create random grain structures. This is much more enjoyable than the iodine that’s added to table salt. The darker or more colored the salt is, the higher the concentration of impurities and the more unique the flavor profile.

Flavored Sea Salt

Because of the minimal processing and more mild salt flavor, sea salt takes on other flavors easily. This can further enhance the flavor of the salt and your dish.

Try roasted garlic sea salt on potato wedges or asparagus spears. You could use a rich merlot sea salt as a rub when cooking pork loin or as the finishing touch on a fresh Caprese salad. For a quick weeknight meal, you can season your chicken, meat, or fish with a little applewood smoked sea salt.

Regional Flavors

Just as fine wines feature unique and subtle flavors from their regions, sea salt has unique and subtle flavors. Fleur de sel is harvested from the ponds of France. Other places around the world where salt is harvested include Peru, California, and Hawaii.

3. Natural Grain Size

Table salt comes in one uniform grain size. This limits its effectiveness in different cooking applications. Large and course Kosher salt is perfect for brining and as a finisher.

Coarse sea salt grains are easier for chefs to control while cooking. There are flaky varieties that melt into certain recipes beautifully.

Choose Only the Best Sea Salt for Cooking

By choosing only the best sea salt for cooking, you can ensure your cooking is delicious and perfectly seasoned. So isn’t it time you elevate your culinary efforts and start cooking with sea salt?

Browse our gourmet specialty sea salts and take your culinary creations to the next level.