There are many varieties of gourmet salts to aid in your culinary seduction. The best salts are mined from seawater and evaporated in the sun, imparting more flavor and enhancement to your gourmet creations.
On a recent shopping excursion I discovered the beautifully designed packaging of Victoria Taylor’s Seasonings and decided to experiment with a few different salts. The three salts I carried home include: Australian Flake Salt, Celtic Sea Salt and Anglesey Sea Salt. I absolutely LOVE the Australian Flake Salt.
When I got home I ventured over to Victoria’s web site to learn some more. You can purchase sea salt and other exotic seasoning as well as sampling kits such as the Culinary Salts of the World Gift Set on her site. I recommend experimenting with salts and moving away from common table salt as soon as you dare for a more exotic cooking experience. I learned that most gourmet salts are best used as finishing salts at the end of cooking. Here is the information I found.
Australian Flake Salt – The brine that is the source of this salt comes from the Murray River, fed by the Australian Alps. When harvested in their natural form, the salt flakes retain trace minerals giving them a pinkish color. This salt has a delicate texture that comes from the fluffy crystals that are reminiscent of snowflakes. Use this to “finish” a recipe by crumbling the delicate crystals between your fingers to provide a finishing touch that will add a wonderful dimension to any dish.
Celtic Sea Salt – Praised by culinary professionals for its flavor and quality and by health professionals for its unrefined purity and naturally occurring minerals. Celtic Sea Salt is a product of natural crystallization of the ocean waters near Brittany, France. Use Celtic Sea Salt for finishing and baking.
Anglesey Sea Salt–The saltiest of the three, this crystallized salt from the Isle of Anglesey is a gourmet finishing salt from the cleanest ocean water off the west coast of Wales, UK. Anglesey Sea Salt has a soft, flaky texture and retains many trace minerals and elements important for good health.
I will use these salts in upcoming recipes and hope to learn the delicate intricacies and characteristics of each. I’ve already tried the Australian Flake Salt–I poured some olive oil on plate, sprinkled some Australian Flake Salt and Crushed Red Pepper Flakes over the oil, brought out a fresh baguette to dip into the oil. There were four of us–we tore small pieces from the loaf of bread and dipped right in. Everyone loved it!
