Five chefs swear by sea salt to up their creations. Here's why

Focaccia bread at CocoMaya. PICS/FALGUNI AGRAWAL

Recently, Mark Kurlansky, whose book Salt: A World History published in 2002, was in the city for a lit fest. Kurlansky, an American writer and journalist, refers to the food staple as the only rock we eat. Sea salt, he adds in the book, is a variant of salt that is harvested from the evaporation of sea water, and is available in a coarse form.

Today, whether it is the taste of the sea, or the captivating white particles, sea salt has a special place in the kitchens of chefs. If you follow food blogger Alok Verma's Instagram handle @allaboutthatplate, you know his food is drool-worthy. "I use sea salt in almost everything savoury and, sometimes in desserts. I love topping my chocolate tartlets with flakes of sea salt which balances out the flavours," says Verma, who also makes pumpkin cheddar soup with a sea salt sprinkle. Yet, Verma's recipes only show the growing obsessions of city chefs with sea salt. Here are a few other dishes at Mumbai's eateries that you can try.

Focaccia
Topped with sundried tomatoes, olives and rosemary, the focaccia bread at CocoMaya is coated with a sprinkling of sea salt. "Apart from the crunchy texture, it adds a burst of flavours in the mouth, and can be eaten as a standalone, as opposed to regular table salt," says chef-owner Deeksha Shetty.

At: CocoMaya, 89, Shivai Dongre Industrial Estate, Sakinaka, Andheri
Cost: Rs.100
Call: 28565999

Nutella Sea Salt Cookie
Founder-chef Neha Sethi of Sweetish House Mafia's nutella sea salt cookie is a must-try. "While normal salt is consistent in its flavour and is 98 per cent sodium chloride, sea salt can have different tastes due to the trace minerals that are present in the water from which it was obtained," she says. Sethi, who started operations in 2014, adds that sea salt is added to the nutella cookie, stuffed with hazelnut chocolate, after it is baked. "Sea salt is usually added after the cooking of the dish as it enhances the flavour of the ingredients and also imparts a flavour of its own."

At: Sweetish House Mafia, 14B, Silver Sands Building, Naka, Bandra West
Cost: Rs.115
Call: 26429661

Glazed Large Prawns
Sea salt, says Farrokh Khambata, who launched Izaya, a Robata Thai dining experience last month, helps uplift the raw prawns which are not marinated in any rub and bring out their flavour. "We directly place these prawns on the Robata grill, a three-tiered Japanese fisherman's coal cooking grill. The prawns are left in the shell to retain the au natural flavour. These are then served with a fragrant sauce of herbs and spur chillies."

At: Izaya, NCPA, Nariman Point
Cost: Rs.920
Call: 22821212

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