Sea Salt in the kitchen: how to use it best

A fundamental ingredient in cuisines around the world, salt is an exceptional flavor enhancer. It can be used on all types of foods and dishes, becoming an integral part of all meals (even desserts!). But not all salt is the same.

Sea salt is a salt extracted through the evaporation of sea water. The sea water, expertly conducted between the salt pans, sediments the salt crystals contained within it, bringing this special ingredient to light. Let's discover together sea salt, its properties and the methods to best use it in the kitchen.

What is sea salt and the benefits of using it

Sea salt, or sodium chloride, comes in white crystals of different weights with composite, square and irregular geometric shapes. It is produced inside large complexes of tanks and mills that work by pumping water and grinding crystals.

Often, these processes are now mechanized but in ancient times (and in some particular areas such as the Culcasi salt mines in Nubia), salt was expertly collected by hand.

The sea salt we find on our tables can be refined or whole. Whole sea salt is of superior quality, as it is not treated with chemical elements like refined sea salt, and naturally preserves minerals such as sodium, magnesium and potassium. Due to these organoleptic properties, whole sea salt is an excellent aid for human health. Consumed in careful quantities, it helps in the balance of cellular exchanges and nerve transmissions that occur in the brain and throughout the body.

Ingesting the right amount of salt is therefore a key element in human nutrition, without falling into harmful excesses. What uses are made of it in the kitchen, to help our nutritional needs?

Preserving in salt

Preserving in salt is one of the oldest uses of this food. Since ancient times, people have used salt to remove water from foods and make them available for consumption over time.

The method of preserving in salt can be used for all types of meat or fish, but also for vegetables and greens. Foods commonly preserved in salt are anchovies, or capers, along with numerous processed fish. Preserving in salt can be done following two processes: dry or by rubbing.

Preserving in dry salt means filling a container (usually glass) and layering salt and product on alternating levels. The salt slowly penetrates the food and absorbs its humidity, blocking the food's deterioration process. When using, salted food must be rinsed thoroughly or left to soak in water to allow it to rehydrate and release the extra-savory flavour acquired during the preservation process. To preserve in salt, it is always advisable to use coarsely ground sea salt, to allow a slow and effective drying process.

Preservation by rubbing, on the other hand, occurs for foods (such as ham) that are rubbed with salt crystals, to allow the food to absorb the salt gradually.

Cooking with salt

One of the most popular methods in the kitchen for using sea salt is cooking with salt. This process is used to cook meat and fish in the oven, and has the advantage of being a cooking method that allows heat exchange without compromising the dispersion of matter (such as water, oil or other condiments). With these indications, we could say that cooking with salt is the oldest version of vacuum cooking.

For the use of the salt cooking method, coarse salt is also recommended here, placed on the food in such a way that it covers it entirely and seals it. To compact the salt well, we recommend that you moisten it slightly directly with your hands, so that during cooking the little water used evaporates and the crust solidifies as best as possible.

Sea salt as a seasoning

Seasoning with salt serves to enhance the natural flavor of the foods we put on the table. It is possible to season the food directly raw, on cooked vegetables or by salting the water in which this ingredient will be cooked (as in the case of pasta, or boiled vegetables and legumes). As for meat, it is better to salt it before cooking. Some salt crystals when tasting can instead give a gourmet touch to your dish.

Our advice is to always season foods with fine-grained sea salt, using a reduced quantity of salt. If instead you have to salt the water to cook pasta, you can choose to use coarse or fine salt but always adjusting the quantity based on the quantity of water and the salting power of your sea salt.