Seasoned Salts & Pickle Salts

"A wise woman puts a grain of sugar into everything she says to a man, and takes a grain of salt with everything he says to her." Helen Rowland

By Meathead Goldwyn

Our dining table is always set with a pepper mill, a table salt shaker, and a small bowl with Seasoned Sea Salt. It is easy to make and the large grains really add a spark to potatoes, pastas, pizza, veggies, and just about everything else that needs salt. This blend also makes a nice rub for beef roasts.

But you don't have to stick with my recipe. Feel free to create your own house blend with your favorite seasonings. Start with 1 part seasoning mix and add 6 to 10 parts large grain salt.

Another fun technique to make pickle salts. Just take pickle juices, dehydrate them in a dehydrator or by leaving them in a non-reactive pan to evaporate. Then scrape them up. You can use them like this, or grind them in a mortar and pestle, coffee grinder, or blender. Try making them from dill pickles, sauerkraut, pickled mushrooms, pickled peppers, onions, whatever you can find!


Ingredients:

1/2 cup sea salt
2 teaspoons of dried herbs such as oregano, thyme, or rosemary, your choice, your blend
1/4 teaspoon powdered garlic
1/4 teaspoon powdered onion
1/4 teaspoon well-dried orange or lemon zest

About the sea salt.

Technically all salt is sea salt since it all comes from the sea. But most salts labeled "sea salt" are large grain, and they dissolve more slowly. You can go to smaller grains such as kosher salt or table salt. If you do, because they are so concentrated, cut back on the herbs. But this is one of those recipes where you can adjust it to your taste.


Method:

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and store. We put it in a little pewter bowl on the dining table with a little tiny spoon. You can use it right away, but I find it is better after a week of aging so the aromatic herbs can penetrate the crystals.

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