HALEN MÔN SEA SALTSalt is just a grainy white seasoning you sprinkle on your chips, right? And isn't it really bad for you? The answers are no, and no - well, not when used in moderation.
Maldon sea salt, from Essex, is available from supermarkets. Fleur de sel, the hand-harvested "flower of salt" from Brittany and the Camargue, is another chef's favourite, and you can pick it up in most delicatessens and specialist food shops.
Nearer home, the Halen Môn sea salt company, on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, produces smoked salt, vanilla salt and spiced salt, in addition to its pure white sea salt. Halen Môn salt, used in the kitchens of some of the world's top restaurants, including
El Bulli and the French Laundry, is made with charcoal-filtered seawater. David and Alison Lea-Wilson began making the salt on their kitchen Aga five years ago; they now export to 16 countries. In Ireland, Halen Môn is available from Interior Living, 11 Mac Curtain Street, Cork (021-4505819), and you can also buy it online from the . An order placed on a Thursday arrived in Dublin the following Tuesday; the postage was a reasonable £4.25 (about €6.25) for two 100g canisters. Just one regret - why, oh why didn't I order the organic spiced sea salt (with coriander, peppercorns, turmeric, paprika, cumin, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne and cloves)? Next time.
VANILLA SEA SALT (£5.20/€7.75, 100g) AND SMOKED SEA SALT (£4.10/€6.10, 100g)
The salts come in pretty cylindrical canisters that when opened send out an explosion of aroma. The smoked salt is infused with smoke from Welsh oak chippings, while the vanilla is made with Tahitian vanilla pods.
The texture is flaky and slightly moist, especially in the vanilla variety. The smoked salt is intensely savoury, like eating a shard of smoked dried bacon. The vanilla has a natural affinity with shellfish and rich white fish, such as turbot.
Sprinkle it over grilled scallops or dissolve a little into a beurre blanc and drizzle over grilled turbot. A few grains on some steamed carrots bring out their sweetness, and Halen Môn recommends using the salt to finish caramel desserts.
Smoked salt will add an extra dimension to grilled meat or fish, and can be sprinkled on oysters for an added kick. It was fantastic as a garnish on a creamy potato gratin.
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