Where to Find the Salts

Your tip for May 22, 2006 - WHERE TO FIND THE SALTS
Gourmet salts are easy to find - and even easier to cook with. The Internet is a great place to start. Naomi Novotny and her fiancé, Mark Zoske, sell at least two dozen kinds of gourmet salt on their Web site, http://www.seasalt.com/. Their Redmond-based company, SaltWorks, has been distributing gourmet and bath salts in bulk for four years. They launched their retail line in January, and Novotny said people just can't get enough. "It's really unbelievable," she said. "It used to only be the higher-priced companies that wanted these salts, and now it's everybody; even local grocery stores want them."

A chef offers advice Before I took my salt into the kitchen, I asked a professional for advice. Charlie McManus, chef and owner of Tacoma's Primo Grill, said using the gourmet salts during cooking as a seasoning would be too expensive because of the quantity required, so he advises using the gourmet salts sparingly as a finishing sprinkle just before serving a dish. The distinctive salts can add a real flavor punch, but they also come with a punch of a price tag.

Gourmet salts can cost from $1 to more than $3 per ounce. McManus offered a few other pointers: Taste the salt before you use it, and distribute it in pinches instead of using a spoon. That way you can control how much salt you are adding.

"Its back to the basics," he said. Gourmet salts "are about finding the best quality of an ingredient and celebrating it for what it is.

" TRIAL AND ERROR Taste them: Start with several salts, including a few smoked ones, organic sea salts, pink salts etc. Each one tastes different. Smoked salt rocked on roasted chicken and burgers, making them taste like they were right off the grill.

SaltWorks' Murray River salt - a pretty, pink salt that comes in flakes instead of grains - has a mild, almost buttery taste. I loved it on steamed broccoli, sauteed zucchini and steamed green beans. Remembering Bigelow's success with her chocolates, I tossed some organic sea salt on homemade caramel corn. The sweet and salty mixture was addictive. My only mistake was the occasional overuse. Tossing pinches of salt on food makes me feel like I'm on the Food Channel, and sometimes it's hard to use restraint. People eating the food noticed a difference and usually liked it. Biting into a turkey burger sprinkled with Fumée De Sel, a SaltWorks sea salt smoked over wood chips from chardonnay wine barrels, my husband, Justin, pondered the seasoning addition. "It tastes like it's from a restaurant," he said. "It has that something extra in it that makes it taste better that what you could make at home, but you don't know what it is.

" MAKE YOUR OWN FLAVORED SALT"

* Lemon Salt: Use the rind of 1 lemon for each 5 ounces of sea salt. Peel the rind from the lemon. Dice the rind into bits a little bigger than the salt grains. The salt will absorb the oils from the rind and preserve and shrink the rind bits. Sprinkle on vegetables, fish or chicken. Source: Kerry Sear, chef and owner of Cascadia.

* Fennel Salt: Use 1/3 cup of fennel seeds per 1/2 cup of kosher salt. Toast fennel seeds in a pan over medium heat until they are aromatic, 1 or 2 minutes. Cool completely. Grind the seeds in a spice grinder. Mix with kosher salt. Sprinkle the salt on meats, eggs and potatoes. Source: Charlie McManus, chef and owner of Primo Grill.

SALT VARIETIES

Gray sea salt

* Origin: Collected by hand on the coastal areas of France. Its grey color comes from the clay found in the salt flats. It contains a high level of minerals and nutrients.
* Flavor and uses: It has a smooth, salty taste that works well in sauces, salads, snack foods and as an upgrade from regular table salt.
* Cost: $8.98 for a 16-ounce pouch on http://www.seasalt.com/. $6.50 for a 35-ounce bag on http://www.amazon.com/. Susan's Note: I bought it locally in Miami very inexpensively. It came in large grains and required a grinder for regular use. I love it and use it all the time.

Atlantic sea salt

* Origin: Sea salt refers to unrefined salt made from a living ocean or sea. The ocean water is channeled into large, clay trays, and the sun and wind evaporate the water. The salt contains traces of other minerals, which is why many think it is healthier. The salt pictured comes from the Atlantic Ocean.
* Flavor and uses: Strong flavor. Sea salt comes in different grains and can be used as a seasoning on almost any food.
* Cost: A wide range. One of the least-expensive was a 2-ounce sea salt grinder by McCormick for $1.99.

Hawaiian sea salt

* Origin: Hawaii, where a volcanic red clay is added to the salt, enriching it with iron oxide.
* Flavor and uses. Milder than regular sea salt. Used in Hawaiian dishes, as well as on meats.
* Cost: $8.95 for a 16-ounce resealable pouch from www.seasalt.com.

Black lava salt

* Origin: Another Hawaiian salt, this is created when sea water evaporates in above-ground pools with black lava rock, which adds minerals to the salt. Charcoal is then added for color and health benefits.
* Flavor and uses: Milder than regular sea salt. Several Web sites suggest using it on seafood. Others suggest using it in any dish for a dramatic presentation, such as black salt sprinkled on scallops.
* Cost: $7.50 for an 8-ounce package at http://www.savoryspiceshop.com/. Also available at www.seasalt.com.

Fleur De Sel

* Origin: The "flower of salt" comes from the crystals that form naturally on the surface of salt evaporation ponds. The salt is hand-harvested by salt farmers in France.
* Flavor and uses: Great on salads, vegetables and grilled meats.
* Cost: An organic version is $10.99 for a 6-ounce pouch at www.seasalt.com.

Black salt

* Origin: A "black" Indian mineral salt mined from the earth, it is actually pink in color.
* Flavor and uses: This salt has a strong sulfurous taste similar to an egg yolk. It's used in Indian cooking. Vegan chefs also use the salt to create a flavor similar to eggs.
* Cost: A Web search reveals black salt is available on several Indian food product sites. Prices started at $3 for a 2-ounce jar.

Source: www.seasalt.com; www.savoryspiceshop.com; www.amazon.com.

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