Hey, salt lover, do you know this salt yet?
Himalayan salt, Persian Blue, Maldon; any true salt lover knows that really delicious salt takes every dish to the next level. Recently I tasted Sel Magique, a so-called ‘fleur de sel’. It’s also known as the Rolls-Royce of salt. But what exactly is this salt, and how do you use it?
When seawater evaporates, salt remains. This happens naturally, in pools and crevices. But the Rolls-Royce of salt is harvested from Brittany southwards and around the Mediterranean in salt pans—shallow bodies of water from which the water is left to evaporate.
Fleur de sel
Fleur de sel is an exclusive, beautifully white and delicate type of sea salt that, as it evaporates, floats on the seawater in a thin layer. It must then be harvested carefully, by hand. This happens mainly along the French coasts and is a demanding, time-consuming job. You can imagine that it comes with a price tag.
Finishing touch
You only use fleur de sel to finish your dish. Not only because it would be ridiculous to casually dump such exquisite grains into your pasta water. Also because it really comes into its own when used on (especially moist) dishes, for example sprinkled over a fried egg. Or over your carpaccio. Because fleur de sel isn’t completely dry, it doesn’t dissolve immediately. It ‘melts’. An added bonus: the salt crystals in fleur de sel aren’t all the same size, so they don’t all dissolve in your mouth at once. This means you taste the salty flavor for longer.
Sel Magique
The French town of Guérande is the birthplace of Sel Magique. Only a few months a year, on windless days, can this thin layer of salt be skimmed and harvested. After drying for several weeks, the salt is combined with Provençal herbs or pepper, then left to ‘mature in the barrel’ for 3 to 6 months. The flavors blend, intensify and develop into three different mixes: classic, spicy and salt & pepper. I personally fell head over heels for the classic blend, a mix of fleur de sel, lavender, thyme, savory and marjoram. Sprinkle a little over your tomato or avocado, or do what I love to do: buy a good baguette, generously spread it with brown butter beurre noisette and sprinkle some of the classic blend over it. Ir-resist-ible.
Pop-up
Also curious about this special salt? Until December 31, a Sel Magique pop-up store is open at Beethovenstraat 40 in Amsterdam. The Sel Magique blends are available here, starting at €15 for 56 grams.
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