Salt is an integral part of providing taste to any dish. There are many varieties including fleur de sel. It is an expensive salt that is delicate and flaky. This salt is expensive owing to its complicated production process.
In the cooking world, fleur de sel is used as a finishing salt, sprinkling it just before serving. You can add it to salads, fruits and vegetables, soups, and even dessert. The salt has a strong, salty flavor with a taste from the sea. However, if you do not want to spend so much on this salt, we have jotted down some fleur de sel substitutes.
Fleur de sel is different from other salts because of its high moisture content. Therefore, it has a strong, briny flavor that comes from the sea. This moisture content causes salt to stick on the tongue giving off an intense flavor.
Since this salt is expensive, the flower of salt is used as a condiment. Even a few crystals of salt bursts out the strong flavor through your mouth. You need to be careful when the quantity and add it minutes before serving the food. The salt goes well with candies giving contrast with sweetness.
Fleur De Sel Substitute
1) Kosher Salt
This is a highly popular salt in a chef’s recipe book. Kosher has coarse grains and does not contain iodine. The wide and coarse Kosher crystals salt food nicely. Just like fleur de sel, Kosher does not dissolve quickly.
It stays on the surface of the food making it crispy and crunchy. All these reasons render the dish extra tasty and not salty. You do not have to add an extra amount of Kosher to compensate for fleur de sel. Add an equal amount of salt to your recipe.
In comparison to the flower of salt, Kosher is affordable and readily available. So, you can easily use it as an alternative for daily cooking.
2) Sel Gris
The color of the sel gris is gray just like clay in salt ponds. It is an unrefined salt having small crystals that are irregular in shape. The flavor of sel gris is similar to fleur de sel but has comparatively higher mineral content.
The taste is strong and briny. As for its usage, sel gris is a versatile and premium salt and it can be sprinkled on top of the food. If you plan to use it in a filling, you won’t be disappointed. You can use sel gris on meat, vegetables, and casseroles.
Sel gris boasts of numerous health benefits including promoting healthy sleep patterns. It improves immunity and brain functions.
3) Maldon salts
This soft flaxy salt comes from Essex from the banks of river blackwater. The pyramidal-shaped crystals give off a clean salty flavor to any dish. It is a great choice for chefs worldwide because of large crystals similar to fleur de sal. The saltiness kicks in and it is much easier to sprinkle over certain foods. Always use Maldon in equal quantities to fleur de sal.
It works best as a substitute because Maldon is often used as a finishing salt. Sprinkle it before serving vegetables, grilled chicken or beef, and caramel delights.
4) Pink salt
Pakistan’s Khewra mines are famous worldwide because of their unique color and taste. It has higher mineral content as compared to the normal table salt. These minerals contain all of the 84 essential trace elements needed for your body.
The taste and look of the salad or the dish changes when you sprinkle it with the Himalayan pink salt. It has health benefits like improving the respiratory system, sleep quality, and blood sugar.
Salt is not only a wonder of nature but also the hard work of man. Fleur de sel requires great effort during harvesting. So, it is really expensive and not easily available. However, just like any other ingredient, there are some good alternatives.
You can use any of the substitutes as they give off a similar taste. The benefits and uses of these replacements will not have a major change. Sel gris, kosher, and Maldon salt can play the role of fleur de sel as a finishing salt. Go through the health benefits and see which ones fit your need the best.