Flavor crystals: love salt but hate the sodium? Try seasoned salt. It has less sodium than table salt—and adds a new dimension of taste and texture to any dish

Natural Health, June, 2007 by Christy Harrison

Truffle salt can be made the same way, providing a less expensive alternative to the grinding method that many chefs and artisan food makers use. To infuse, cut one truffle into several pieces and place in a jar of salt until the salt reaches the desired level of pungency. Remove the truffle and use immediately. Eggs, risotto, and root-vegetable soups are all good partners for truffles.

Roast it

Roasting is the preferred method of Noriaki Yasutake, the sushi chef at Perrys in Washington, D.C.: Moisten Kosher salt with water so it flavors evenly, mix the moist salt with a powdered flavoring, like green-tea powder, then slowly roast the mixture in a skillet until it dries.

Green-tea salt is an ideal match for many types of fish, whether raw, seared, tempura-battered, or grilled (see recipe on page 38). In Japan, it's traditionally eaten with a rice dish that includes nori seaweed and dried salmon flakes.

Grilled Striped Bass with
Green-Tea Salt

Recipe by Noriaki Yasutake, sushi chef
at Perrys in Washington, D.C.
Serves 4

3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon
  Kosher salt
4 teaspoons green-tea powder
1 tablespoon water
1 medium grapefruit
1 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon plus 2 tablespoons olive off
  Black pepper, to taste
4 fillets (6 ounces each, 1-inch thick)
  striped bass, skin on
8 ounces mixed baby greens or
  combination of chopped iceberg
  lettuce and shiso leaves, washed
  and dried

1. Preheat barbecue or stovetop grill pan
to moderately high heat. Make green-tea
salt: In small bowl, gently stir together
Kosher salt and green-tea powder to
combine. Pour mixture into small skillet
and sprinkle with water, 1 1/2 teaspoon
at a time, until small clumps form. Rub
mixture with fingers until texture is like
damp sand. Toast slowly in skillet over
low heat to dry.

2. Make dressing: Squeeze juice from
grapefruit and reserve. In small saucepan,
bring orange juice to boil, then simmer
until reduced by half (about 10 minutes).
Remove from heat and let cool. In medium
nonreactive bowl (glass or ceramic), whisk
together grapefruit juice, orange juice,
lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of green-tea salt,
1 teaspoon olive oil, and pepper.

3. Grill fish: Remove fillets from wrapping,
rinse and pat dry. Dip each briefly in shallow
plate filled with 2 tablespoons olive
oil, skin side down; then sprinkle both
sides with a pinch of green-tea salt. Brush
grill with some of remaining olive oil.
Grill fish until opaque in center, about 4
to 5 minutes per side. Remove from heat;
set aside to cool.

4. Divide mixed greens between 4 plates.
Top each with one fillet of bass and coat
with dressing (about 6 tablespoons
per plate).

Per serving: 301 calories, 12 g fat (2 g saturated),
14 g carbohydrates, 33 g protein, 1 g
fiber, 531 mg sodium (33% Daily Value).

Pan-Fried Pork Tenderloin
with Vanilla Salt

Salt by H. Alexander Talbot
Recipe by Didi Davis, chef and owner of
Didi Davis Food in Ipswich, Mass.
Serves 4

1 vanilla bean
8 ounces fleur de sel
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds pork tenderloin (2 whole
  tenderloins), each cut crosswise
  into 2 pieces
  Freshly ground Mack pepper
  (optional)

1. Make vanilla salt: Cut vanilla bean
open lengthwise and scrape out seeds.
Combine with salt in small or medium
bowl; mix with fingers to disperse evenly.
Put vanilla salt in airtight container with
remainder of bean for several clays to let
flavors infuse. Once flavored, leave bean
and discard seeds.

2. Place stock in small saucepan; bring
to boil Lower heat to brisk simmer until
stock reduces by half, about 15 minutes.
Remove pan from heat and set aside.

3. Heat olive oil over high heat in skillet
large enough to hold 2 pieces of pork
comfortably. Add thicker pieces first and
sear, turning frequently 10 to 15 minutes,
until all sides are well-browned. Lower
heat to medium; continue cooking for 15
to 20 minutes more, depending on size
and thickness of meat, turning once or
twice. Five to 7 minutes before larger
pieces will be done, add skinny tail sections
and brown on all sides. Cut into
pieces to check stage of cooking--when
done, center should be pink and moist;
remove from heat and transfer to
cutting board.

4. Pour reserved stock into skillet, return
heat to high, and deglaze pan, scraping
brown bits from bottom, which will
add flavor to sauce. Taste, then continue
reducing until flavor is rich and deep.

5. Slice each piece of meat width-wise
into 1/2-inch-thick medallions and arrange
on sewing platter; season with pepper,
if desired. Spoon sauce over medallions,
sprinkle well with vanilla salt, and serve.