Icelandic Sea Salt Flakes

Sea salt flakes from Iceland, boiled with the power of the earth

Nordur Salt's sea salt flakes are produced on the small island of Karlsey in Breiðafjörður – boiled using geothermal energy according to a 1753 method. Crunchy, clear and mineral-rich, packaged in a Red Dot award-winning box.

The sea salt flakes from Nordur Salt are a crunchy finishing salt from western Iceland: On Karlsey, a tiny island off the small town of Reykhólar in the legendary Breiðafjörður, seawater is heated with hot thermal water until delicate, pale flakes form – a process that dates back to Iceland's first saltworks in 1753 and now uses pure geothermal energy.

Crunchy, clear and full of the North

On the tongue, the flakes offer an audible crunch before melting quickly – leaving behind a clear, fresh salinity without any bitterness, like a deep breath on the fjord coast. It is precisely this combination of crunch and mildness that makes sea salt flakes a favorite tool of many chefs.

The water is provided by the Breiðafjörður, one of the cleanest marine regions in Europe: sparsely populated, rich in bird islands, and far from industry. What comes from the sea there needs no post-processing – boil, harvest, done.

The boiling process itself is a game of patience: thanks to the geothermal heat, the brine evaporates gently at around 70 degrees – slowly enough that the flakes have time to form their delicate, thin-walled structures. Rapid boiling creates grains, slow boiling creates flakes: crunchy, pale, and paper-thin.

The finale for everything you love

Sea salt flakes never go into the cooking water; they are the finale: crushed between your fingers over steak and roasted vegetables, on buttered bread, over tomatoes with olive oil, or on a soft breakfast egg. Sweets also love the flake – caramel, chocolate cookies, and brownies suddenly gain depth with a pinch.

Their purity is best revealed where little else happens: good butter, good bread, a few flakes – a summer supper needs nothing more. Once the box is empty, the refillable metal tin is ready for its next appearance.

If you have only known salt flakes from England until now: the Icelandic character is a touch milder and clearer – less mineral intensity, more freshness. Side by side on two halves of the same egg, the difference becomes tangible – a small test, a great insight, and a lasting preference. After all, that is exactly what a well-stocked salt shelf is for.

A friendship, an island, a saltworks

Behind Nordur Salt are two friends: Icelander Garðar Stefánsson and Dane Søren Rosenkilde, who met in Aarhus, Denmark, and opened their saltworks in Breiðafjörður in 2012. Their idea: the best salt, boiled solely with geothermal energy, just as the Icelanders attempted back in 1753.

The packaging proves that we eat with our eyes, too: in 2014, Nordur received the Red Dot Award for its design – the elegant carton featuring the mermaid has long since become a collector's item itself. Scandinavian design, Icelandic craftsmanship, Danish culinary delight: this box has it all.

You can find more crunchy relatives in our salt flakes category, the entire Icelandic family at Nordur Salt – and if you like it smoky, try the smoked salt from the same producer. Iceland fits on a fingertip – give it a try, preferably this evening, without any special occasion and with all the more enjoyment!