For a fun summertime project, you can make your own sea salt. It takes some time (sometimes days), but is totally worth being able to tell your dinner guests you made your own salt! And if your feeling generous, it makes a great gift.
Making salt is easy enough, and if done properly, it’s safe. The single most important aspect of making salt is to use the most pristine water available, avoiding areas where there is heavy boat traffic, sunbathers that produce sunscreen residue and other unseemly things that can end up in the water. Almost any container will do, including plastic jugs, glass bottles and coolers. Once you have the water, let it sit undisturbed for several days in a cool place so that any sand or sediment present sinks to the bottom. You can skip this step by filtering the water through several layers of cheesecloth, but you’ll lose some of the salt that way.
One gallon of water typically yields anywhere from half a cup to a full cup of salt, depending on its salinity and the dehydration process; a slower evaporation of the water leads to larger, natural crystals, which add beautiful texture to your dishes. If I’m in a rush, I boil out the water on the stove; the crystals end up smaller, but the flavor is still the same. I have found, here on our island, summer salt is “saltier” than winter salt – so interesting, right?!
I hope one lazy weekend you decide to give this a try – there is just something so satisfying about adding your own handmade salt to a dish and knowing exactly where it came from! And if your creative you can make your own label – like the one my brother-in-law Chris made for me.
Ingredients:
1 gallon of seawater
Instructions:
Place the collected water in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for at least 6 minutes to kill any bacteria. Immediately pour the boiled water 1-2 inches deep in shallow, non-reactive baking dishes (glass dishes are preferable), cover each baking dish with cheesecloth and set outside in the sun until the liquid has evaporated. Depending on the weather, this could take a few hours or up seven days.
Consolidate the salt into one baking sheet/pan and set in a dehydrator or an oven with just the pilot light on. Leave overnight to completely dry.
Transfer the salt to a decorative bowl or canning jar with an air-tight lid. And remember, a little goes a long way – that’s why it often used to sprinkle on top of a finished dish.
ALTERNATIVE QUICK METHOD:
After boiling the water to remove any bacteria, reduce the heat to medium and continue boiling, stirring frequently. Larger crystals can be skimmed off the top and set aside. Continue to cook until all that remains are crystals and a small amount of moisture. (One quart of water at full boil reduces in about 45 minutes; for larger salt crystals, slow to a low boil.) Finish in the dehydrator or oven as directed above.
Yields approximately 1/2-3/4 cups of sea salt.
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