"rock salt" news and stories

I haven't added salt to food in 15 years. I have high blood pressure and don't want to risk any possible increase. Besides, a lot of food we eat already has enough salt in it and I haven't missed it. If I add anything at all, it's pepper or one of the many flavors that Mrs. Dash gives us.

The Salt Institute has a large FAQ page about salt. You can find out what salt exactly is, how much is produced in the U.S., effects it has on the human body, how animals react to salt, how much salt an athlete needs. There's even a huge list of recipes that contain salt. Recipes that contain salt? Wouldn't that be too big a list to have even on the web? Actually, they're recipes for food where salt is a vital ingredient.

My friend Megan is the proprietor of Sugar Star, a baking business in Portland, Oregon that supplies tasty treats like chocolate cake with Earl Gray-infused ganache and rosewater red velvet cake to coffee shops like Fuel Cafe on Alberta Street.  One of the things she makes that I love are Salty Brownies, decadent chocolate brownies topped with chunky sea salt.

I made a batch tonight.  Just use your favorite brownie recipe (or—gasp!—a box),  and when the brownies have about four minutes left to cook, remove the almost-baked brownies and sprinkle them lightly with rock salt. (I used a half teaspoon of pink, Hawaiian alae salt.) Continue cooking for the remaining four minutes of baking time. Remove from oven and serve as usual. The salt really makes the chocolate flavor pop. They are always a hit at parties. I'll never make brownies any other way.

[photo: Stefania Pomponi Butler]

When Stefania Butler came back from Hawaii, she brought me a present. It was small, heavy, and sparkled. It came from Amy's Fish Market. And as soon as I saw it, I knew I'd love it.

I'd read raves from both Stefania and another foodie I admire, Karina Longworth. The St. Petersburg Times called it a good finish for mashed potatoes. No one had to tell me twice three times. I was sold.

So I started out with a little on potatoes. And a bit on steamed vegetables. Yum, double salty yum! Soon I was sprinkling the pink stuff on everything from avocadoes (straight up) to steak (with a pat of butter).