Sea salt, harvested from the ocean, has been used for several thousand years. It is harvested through channeling ocean water into large clay trays and allowing the sun and wind to evaporate it naturally. It has been used to bring out freshness in salads and greens and make vegetables crispier. It also brings out the natural flavors of meat. The coarser texture perhaps provides a different mouthfeel and thus, contributes to its different “flavor”. Generally more expensive than table salt, sea salt is commonly used in gourmet cooking and specialty potato chips, particularly the kettle cooked variety. Areas that produce specialized sea salt sodium include the Cayman Islands, Greece, France, Ireland, South Korea, Colombia, Sicily, Apulia in Italy, Maldon in Essex UK, Hawaii, Maine, Utah, the San Francisco Bay, and Cape Cod in the United States.
There are two theories as to the origin of salt layers. One says that mineral salt is layer of salt created after evaporation of old seas. According to other theory, layer of mineral salt was created by chemical reaction.
Mineral salt is often in crystal form. It is transparent crystal, or light tan in color with little darker flecks. But, it can also be of many different colors. Not all mineral salts are rich in trace elements. Some are similar to ocean salt, other are not.
I have yet to see good seasalt here. But, if I do find some, I’d like to try out some of the recipes found at Ocean’s flavor foods site.
