Calamondin, Lemon & Rosemary Salt

According to Jay Rayner, British food critic, “Salt is the difference between eating in Technicolor and eating in black and white.”   How true!  Unless you’re on a low-sodium diet, salt is a basic flavor enhancer in your kitchen. It’s a key ingredient in cooking and baking because it rounds out the flavors of food.  And a flavored salt, in particular, can bring any dish from good to great in just a pinch. For those of us who cook a lot, making our own flavored salts is an economical (i.e., less than a couple of dollars) way of having delicious flavors at our fingertips, without having to pay the high prices at specialty stores. I typically start with sea salt, fleur de sel or Maldon — and sometimes I mix all three if I have them on hand. Each offers its own texture and flavor differences, depending on moisture content.  Even kosher salt works well in a flavored salt.  You can use herbs, citrus, mushrooms, fruits, vegetables, chile peppers and any number of items — either straight from the garden or dried beforehand, depending on what you’re using.   The only thing that limits you is your imagination 🙂  I especially like to blend citrus with fresh herbs, since I cook a lot of fish, so I always have a batch handy. And I typically make small batches, so I know it’s always fresh. If you start with already dried ingredients, you can simply mix them into the salt and let it sit for a while to permeate the flavors.  But when it comes to using citrus, I like to blend the salt directly with the citrus peels and herbs (in a food processor) and dry everything in the oven at a low temperature — this offers a really intense flavored salt since all the oils from the citrus and herbs are blended directly into the salt. For this batch, I used some of my beautiful calamondin* peels, along with fresh lemon peels and rosemary.  It’s a colorful, fragrant and flavorful combination that’s particularly delicious on seafood, but also great on grilled poultry or vegetables. I’ve even used this flavored salt as a marinade for a raw turkey breast that sat in the fridge for 24 hours.  Once I roasted it, I found that the salt had tenderized the meat, drew out its excess moisture, and brought in a lot of flavor dimension, so it was really yummy. (*Note – if you don’t have access to calamondins, simply use orange peels, without the white pith). Some tips when making flavored salt: 1) A general proportion rule to follow is 1/4 c. salt to 1 tsp. flavorings. 2) Try experimenting with flavorings and salt types to find out what you like best. 3) They can be very concentrated in flavor, so when topping a finished dish, start with a small amount and add more to taste (you don’t want to overpower your dish). 4) Flavored salts can even be mixed into a dish while cooking, just be aware of how much salt you’re adding, so you don’t over-do it. 5) When packaged in pretty, airtight containers, they make great hostess or holiday gifts for folks who love to cook.