Artisanal salts come from all over the globe, and if you’re crazy for fine foods, you can find some pretty rare specimens. But the following are all yummy, and are available widely in specialty food stores.
• Type: Kosher ($)
Origin: various sources
Color: white
Best Uses: Everyday cooking; great texture is easy to pinch and dissolves well; smooth, unaggressive flavor
Herb Pairing Suggestions: complements all herbs and spices
• Type: Gray Sea Salt ($)
Origin: various coasts
Color: gray to gray-green
Best Uses: Cooking and finishing salt; unrefined; mineral content; moist, briny; sometimes harsh flavor works well with meats, veggies and seafood
Herb Pairing Suggestions: garlic, cumin, bay leaves, thyme
• Type: Himalayan ($$)
Origin: Himalayan mountains
Color: pink
Best Uses: Cooking or finishing salt; potent, rich flavor of mineral; great with poultry, fish and in brines and sauces thyme
Herb Pairing Suggestions: rosemary, oregano, basil, garlic, bay leaves,
• Type: Red Alaea ($$$)
Origin: Hawaii red
Best Uses: Great for roasting and grilling, and in rubs; trace minerals; Combined with red clay (‘Alaea’); moist; crunchy texture; color stands out when served; mineral and buttery flavors go well with seafood
Herb Pairing Suggestions: pepper, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, turmeric, saffron, garlic, bay leaves, thyme
• Type: Black Lava, or Hiwa Kai ($$$)
Origin: Hawaii
Color: black
Best Uses: Finishing salt; sulfuric aroma; combined with activated charcoal; silky texture; sharp, earthy flavor is best on sushi and grilled meats and veggies
Herb Pairing Suggestions: pepper, garlic, bay leaves, thyme
• Type: Maldon ($$)
Origin: England
Color: white
Best Uses: Finishing salt; thin, flat crystals dissolve slowly on the tongue like snowflakes; delicate flavor, light taste lemon balm
Herb Pairing Suggestions: delicate flavors such as lavender and
• Type: Sel Gris
Origin: France
Color: gray
Best Uses: Cooking and finishing salt; great mineral content; lower sodium; high moisture; bright mineral flavor
Herb Pairing Suggestions: rosemary, garlic, bay leaves, thyme
• Type: Fleur de Sel, rare byproduct of Sel Gris ($$)
Origin: France
Color: white
Best Uses: The caviar of finishing salts; unrefined, light, moist crystals; violet-like aroma
Herb Pairing Suggestions: great garnish for any herbed dish
• Type: Kala Namak, also known as ‘Indian Black’ or ‘Sanchal’ ($)
Origin: India
Color: light pink with gray tinge
Best Uses: Cooking and finishing salt; strong sulfur odor; common in vegan and Indian cooking
Herb Pairing Suggestions: turmeric, saffron, basil, coriander, cumin
• Type: Applewood Smoked ($$)
Origin: various sources of aged wood
Color: pale orange to light brown
Best Uses: Cooking and finishing salt; sweet, woody, fruity flavor; use with poultry, fish and pork, and in curing meats
Herb Pairing Suggestions: cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice, rosemary, basil, pepper, garlic, thyme, bay leaves
• Type: Hickory Smoked ($$)
Origin: various sources of raw wood
Color: light to dark brown
Best Uses: Cooking and finishing salt; intense smoke flavor; works with red meat and Southern cooking, especially barbecue
Herb Pairing Suggestions: pepper, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, turmeric, saffron, garlic
Tabitha Alterman is senior associate editor at our sister publication, Mother Earth News, and wonders if she’ll ever get her sweet tooth back after all this salty research.
Click here for the main article, Pairing Herbs with Gourmet Cooking Salts.
