I have always loved salt. As a matter of fact, I like to think of my childhood love for salting my meals as a preview of the foodie I would later become, but my big brothers just used it as an excuse to make fun of me. For instance, they would loosen the lid on the salt shaker so that I ended up with a mountain of snow on my food instead of a sprinkle.  Or there was always the witty remark about getting me a salt lick for my birthday.

Now, maybe as a kid I did go overboard a little with my table salt.  Although if I did it was because of what the salt did to my food.  It transformed it. I wouldn’t have been able to describe then that the magic of salt is that is enhances the flavor of your meal.  Rather, I just knew it always made my vegetables palatable, and my meats more tender and delicious. I am no longer heavy-handed with the salt shaker, but I do always have a sprinkle of gourmet finishing salt to top my meals off à table.  My girls always ask for it too – a proud maman moment for me.

Recently I shared on Instagram that I ordered a few new kitchen accessories from the Le Creuset factory to table sale.   In light of the sale I grabbed a few things I had been hunting for to bolster my kitchen supply.  One of these items was a salt cellar. If you don’t know what a salt cellar is, don’t worry, I didn’t until very recently too. As a result, I loved the notion so much that I am now the proud owner of this beauty:

Shop mine here:

Why everyone needs a salt cellar for gourmet salts

A salt cellar is an easily accessible container for cooking salt.   As such it allows you to grab a pinch-full and season your food as you cook.  This is much preferred to digging in the cupboard for your box of Kosher salt, opening the spout, measuring out the amount you want, etc. It is a cook’s best practice to keep salt easily accessible.   For this reason, the chef’s old adage is often true: salt your food at every step. Just make sure you don’t actually taste the salt each time- read the link for further instruction.

In essence, it’s just a container to keep your salt handy.  They often come with lids, or perforations for shaking, or are a funny shape to keep them covered on top but open on the side for easy pinching.  Consequently you can store your gourmet finishing salt inside, too, and keep the cellar on your table for easily topping your entrée.

Shop these pretty gourmet salt cellars

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Of course I had to grab a French-inspired one on sale from Le Creuset.  This got me to thinking about the different varieties of salt in my cupboard. For example, not only do I have the usual Kosher salt for most of my cooking needs, but I have my gourmet finishing salts too.  As a surprise to no one, they come from France because (also a surprise to no one) the French have cultivated the finest gourmet finishing salts.

Once you have tried these varieties, I guarantee your meals will be forever changed! I once read that David Lebovitz, my favorite expat in France, carries a small container of said fleur de sel finishing salt with him wherever he goes. Goals.

What is a gourmet finishing salt?

There’s no mystery to the name.  They are simply unrefined salts that you sprinkle on your finished meal to give it one final flavor enhancement. It is not table salt (quelle horreur) or even Kosher salt as these are refined salts that have had natural minerals removed in the refining process. Finishing salts are naturally derived, flaky, and slightly crunchy.  They have names like sel gris, fleur de sel de guérande, or maldon, and they give your meal a delicious finish, texture, and sometimes a little crunch.

The best finishing salts hail from our beloved France, who of course also owns the monopoly on the world’s best gastronomy.  This is only logical as cooking and salt go hand in hand. Here are the best gourmet finishing salts to have in your pantry, and where to buy them (click the images to shop).

Fleur de sel de Guérande

Fleur de sel is my go-to finishing salt. It is cultivated by hand in salt marshes in Brittany, which just so happens to be my favorite region of France (think Calvados and savory galettes). The name literally means “flower of salt,” and is a delicate and flaky finishing salt that adds the best texture to a meal. There are many salts that claim to be “fleur de sel,” but only the fleur de sel de Guérande is guaranteed to be naturally harvested and unprocessed.  It is therefore always a consistent product.

Click the image to shop:

Maldon 

Maldon salt is actually English sea salt, but it’s basically just across the channel from France, and I love it just the same. It is a very crunchy, geometric crystal that is beloved for delicately enhancing the flavor of your meal. This type of salt is not as salty as fleur de sel, and therefore is delicious enough to lick off your finger after sprinkling on your food.

Click image to shop:

Sel gris

Sel gris is similar to fleur de sel but is more moist (you can often see evaporation inside the packaging because of the amount of moisture).  It is, as its name suggests, a gray color. It has more minerals than the other two salt varieties and is a denser salt, meaning a little goes a longer way than table or kosher.

Click the image to shop:

Pink Himalayan salt 

Not French, obviously, but still worth mentioning. Pink Himalayan salt has a reputation for being the most “healthy” of salts, but in truth it is just a more mineral-rich table salt. Still, it makes a pretty finish on a meal, improves your food’s flavor, and adds a nice crunch on top.

Click image to shop:

Shop the gourmet salt images

Hopefully you’ve noticed the links which will enable you to easily buy these different salts and try them at home.  I promise that if you try them, mealtime will be forever changed! Keep in mind these gourmet salts are not at all like the iodized table salt we grew up with (which give everything a chemically salty taste). These salts are delicate and not overly alkaline, and as such give a very modest, natural enhancement to your meal that must be experienced. To make it even better, grab yourself a pretty salt cellar for each variety of salt you keep in your pantry.

Do you already use finishing salts? If so, which is your favorite? Drop a comment below and let me know! Happy salting!

À la prochaine–

geneviève

P.S. You might also like these posts:

French Café Etiquette: How to Enjoy the Café Experience in France

French Recipes You Can Easily Make at Homethe