Pure sea salt, harvested from sun, wind, and Atlantic water
Sea salt is created when seawater evaporates in shallow salt pans, leaving only the crystals behind. Here you will find natural sea salt without anti-caking agents or additives – coarse for the mill and salt crust, fine for the shaker and daily cooking.
Sea salt is the oldest seasoning in the world and still requires only three things today: seawater, sun, and wind. Salt has been harvested in the salt pans of Ibiza for about 2,700 years, and in Guérande for over 1,000 years – and in both places, work is still done without refining, bleaching, or additives.
Coarse or fine, a question of the moment
The most important distinction with sea salt is the grain size, as it determines how it is used. Coarse salt belongs in the mill, in pasta water, and for salt crusts; fine salt belongs in the shaker and for anything that needs to be done quickly.
Sal de Ibiza showcases this range with three classics: Grano, the coarse grain; Fina, the fine grain; and Molino, the mill salt. Additionally, there is Granito in a shaker with 125 or 250 grams – practical, pure, and always at hand. By the way, for a salt crust, calculate about one kilo of coarse salt for a whole fish. It sounds like a lot, but it's worth it!
The path from water to grain is the same everywhere: the seawater travels through increasingly shallow pools, and the longer the sun and wind work on it, the higher the salt concentration rises – until the roughly 35 grams of salt per liter of seawater have turned into pure crystals. Harvesting happens in the summer, resting in the winter, and seasoning all year round.
From Ibiza via Guérande to the Algarve
This category gathers pure sea salts from Spain, France, Portugal, and Germany. The sea salt from Sal de Ibiza comes from the Ses Salines nature reserve, the fine Guérande salt in the shaker from L'Atelier du Sel on the Breton Atlantic coast, and the coarse sea salt in the cotton bag from Marisol in the Algarve.
The coarse sea salt from Altes Gewürzamt, the spice manufactory of two-star chef Ingo Holland, comes from Klingenberg am Main. And we have also included two guests from the mountains – Alpine salt in a ceramic pot and the rare blue salt, both rock salts, both just as pure as their siblings from the sea.
Our tip for every day
A good sea salt replaces a whole series of helpers in the kitchen, as it seasons, preserves, and enhances all in one. We cook with the fine variety, grind the coarse one over braised dishes, and keep the shaker ready for boiled eggs – a household doesn't actually need any more salt than that.
The coarse grain from the mill goes over warm tomato bread with olive oil, and we add the fine Guérande salt to bread dough, preserved lemons, and every vinaigrette. Natural sea salt is also the right choice for fermenting and pickling, as it brings nothing with it that doesn't belong.
Those looking for a festive version in addition to the pure grain will find what they need in Fleur de Sel, the hand-harvested "flower of salt." And for those who prefer their salt seasoned, there are our herb and spice salts. Browse through the entire world of salt – the sea has patience, your pasta water does not.
