Wet Salt is a subcategory of gourmet salt. These are natural sea salts that haven't been dried artificially. Since the sun naturally dried these wet sea salts, they still have part of their original moisture content. The minimum moisture content required to be categorised as a damp salt is 2%, but some salts have as high as 5% moisture levels. These salts have the same wet sand-like softness. Those using dry salt might question why to give their wet counterparts a chance. The latter typically retain more nutrients like calcium, manganese, and iron than dry salts. They also have very distinct flavours and textures.
Let's explore a few variants of wet salts.
Sel Gris
French Grey Salt, Image Source: dreamstime.com
Sel Gris (French for "grey salt") is a coarse granular sea salt popularised by the French. The same salt pans used for solar evaporation produce sel gris. It gets its grey colour from being allowed to touch the salt pan's bottom before being raked. The clay in clay-lined pools fills the salt crystals with minerals such as iron, calcium, and manganese during the natural dehydration process. The texture of French Grey salt is soft, coarse and flaky, and it has a somewhat moist feeling to the touch. A subtle mineral tang complements the intensity of the salty flavour. French Grey salt is delicious when added to basic vegetable side dishes such as sautéed green beans, broccoli, peas, asparagus, roasted potatoes, and corn because of this.
Sel gris can be used as a finishing and cooking salt because of its mineral diversity and coarse grain size. French Grey has a lot more salt per volume than the table and kosher salt because it is significantly denser. Since it is a moist salt, using it as a finishing salt prevents food from losing its moisture. Due to the rich mineral makeup of sels gris, selmeliers frequently serve it with heartier dishes like meat and root vegetables.
Fleur de Sel
Fleur de Sel, Image Source: labaule-guerande.com
Meet what is referred to by many people as the caviar of salts because some of the world's finest cooks consider it a prized possession. The exceptionally flaky white salt known as fleur de sel must be delicately scooped up one piece at a time from the tidepools where it crystallises. It melts on your lips and has the most delicate of salty flavours! Because of how quickly this unique salt dissolves, it is best used as a finishing salt just before a dish is served. You only need a few flakes to give a favourite recipe a subtle salty crunch.
Sprinkle Fleur de Sel over chocolates, caramels, or other sweet treats like Creme Brûlée to both accentuate and balance the sweetness. This is one of our favourites uses for Fleur de Sel. Other uses for this salt include topping baked products like pretzels and cupcakes, as well as porridge, eggs, vegetables, cooked meats, poultry, and fish.
Guérande coarse sea salt
French Guerande salt marshes are used to produce Guerande Coarse Sea Salt. The wetlands here have existed since before the ninth century. It is renowned for its culinary qualities and has traditionally been manually picked using conventional techniques. It has a significantly lower salt content and is gentler on the tongue than Mediterranean Sea Salt. Its robust flavour makes it a fantastic option for use in cooking and as a barbecue seasoning for meats. Throughout the summer, coarse salt is gathered. Magnesium and calcium, as well as other trace elements, are abundant in Guerande coarse sea salt, which is entirely natural. It is tasty as a finishing salt and can be used in cooking.
