Flavoured Salt

“Historically, the salt trade has often been controlled by kings on the grounds that minerals are a product of the earth, not of men.” (Harold McGee)

There used to be a time when chefs also behaved like kings when it came to using salt. Nico Ladenis and Marco Pierre White led the way in the Eighties, banning salt from the table, believing that they knew better than their customers at judging how a dish should be seasoned.

Nico “softened” in this attitude, according to his then Head Chef, Paul Flynn, and Marco, well, Marco now advertises Knorr stock cubes. Enough said.

The chef who has probably best described our use of salt in cooking and at the table is Thomas Keller. In the LA Times: “In the kitchen it’s helpful to separate the concept of ‘seasoning’ from that of ‘enhancing flavour’”. 

Salt should do both, but they are separate objectives.

Keller expands his thoughts on seasoning in The French Laundry Cookbook: "The ability to salt food properly is the single most important skill in cooking." (Phew!) "But if you taste salt in a dish, it's too salty".

We’ve started making flavoured salts. We use them to season, rather than intensify flavour. We started making them because we wanted to put more seaweed in our diet. Seaweed, nettles, chillies and seeds are all full of nutrients, as well as flavour. They season like salt, and reduce our reliance on pure sodium. Funnily enough though, it is pepper that has suffered, almost vanishing from this household. Again, Keller writes: "Pepper should only be used in certain cases for specific tastes. Pepper on meat is a constant, but pepper on fish can be overwhelming (I'll use white, if any)."

The flavoured salts pictured above are intended more as a garnish, a condiment. Pictured from left to right are pepper dulse and garden fennel seed salt - good for fish, egg and potato dishes; nettle and kelp salt - for casseroles and soups; evaporated sea salt - pure from seawater, full of goodness and mineral flavour; red salt with chilli, red seaweed and sesame seeds - great for rubs and barbecues.