Sea Salt

Q: Is sea salt a healthier option than regular table salt? A: Both sea salt and table salt are composed of sodium and chloride. Sodium is crucial to good health. It helps your body maintain a balance of fluids, keeps the nervous system running smoothly and influences muscle movement. But too much can cause high blood pressure. Aim to consume no more than the 2,300-milligram daily limit recommended by the American Heart Association. All salts add sodium to your diet. A teaspoon of a coarse variety, however, contributes slightly less than the same amount of the finer table salt.

Makes a generous 11/4 cups 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons    extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup raw unsalted cashews 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika (pimento dulce) 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and    coarsely chopped 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1/3 cup water 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt 1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers.

For the beets: 4 medium yellow beets 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil A few pinches sea salt 2 tablespoons agave nectar For the risotto: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon diced ginger 1 teaspoon diced garlic 1 cup sliced shiitake mushroom caps 2 cups arborio rice Approximately 1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt, to taste 5 cups water 1 cup soy or almond milk 1/4 cup...

Makes 6 servings 1 pound lump or jumbo lump crabmeat 1/4 cup finely chopped flatleaf parsley 1 bunch scallions, roots trimmed, thinly sliced 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs 2 large eggs 1/4 cup milk Pinch of cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 lemon, thinly sliced, for garnish ...

Let Craig LaBan have all the fun with diver scallops, as he did in this space last week? Another great two-scallop appetizer ($11) comes off the stove of Mike Stollenwerk at Little Fish. He whips up a cauliflower gratin of bechamel and fontina cheese, sears the salted-and-peppered scallops, and plates them atop a smudge of slightly sweet raisin emulsion made of sherry wine vinegar and oil. A dusting of sea salt at the very last moment gives the scallops a special crunch.

Our love affair with domestic seafood isn't satiated by Gulf catches alone. Try this Greek-inspired dish made with swordfish caught off Rhode Island. GRILLED BLOCK ISLAND SWORDFISH 4 8- to 9-ounce swordfish steaks 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, preferably Greek 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons fresh oregano 1 tablespoon fresh dill 1 tablespoon fresh thyme Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste Heat grill. Whisk oil with other ingredients, except for fish, salt and pepper.

Makes 4 servings 1 romaine lettuce heart, core    removed, cut in 1/2-inch pieces 2 large celery ribs, leaves    trimmed, cut in 1/2-inch pieces 2 ripe avocados, peeled,pitted, cut in    1/2-inch pieces 1 can (14 oz.) hearts of palm,    drained, cut in 1/2-inch pieces 2 ripe tomatoes, cored, cut in    1/2-inch pieces 1 cup canned    chickpeas, drained 1 teaspoon fine sea salt,    plus more to taste 1/4 teaspoon freshly    ground black pepper Juice of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons extra virgin    olive oil 1/4 cup finely chopped    fresh    cilantro   (optional)

I am tasting salt for the first time. After years of coveting its crystalline crunch on pretzels, its salty flocking on popcorn and chips, I am here with several shakers and I'm tasting the stuff, straight. Kosher salt, iodized salt, free-flowing table salt, purified crystals of sea salt, potassium salt, reduced-sodium salt, pretzel salt, and several varieties of raw sea salt lie on plates across my kitchen counter. Some are as coarse as gravel, while others are powdery fine. They differ in color, moisture content, transparency, flavor, and, most surprisingly, aroma.

Campbell Soup Co.'s product lineup for this fall will have nearly 40 new or reformulated soups, including 14 using sea salt to reduce sodium, five Chunky Fully Loaded varieties with more meat, and - likely - the company's first organic soups, the Camden company said yesterday at a conference in Arizona. The plan to put sea salt in Campbell's soups sold in microwavable containers and other items comes as sales of the original 32 lower-sodium soups launched last year are projected to reach $300 million to $350 million in the current fiscal year, the company said.

'Tis one of the all-time-great chocolate-chip cookie adaptations, made by Metropolitan Bakery with dried cherries, bittersweet chocolate chunks, and a sprinkle of sea salt. This year, the bakery is packaging them for a fab holiday gift: eight giant cookies in a jar - to keep them fresh and prevent breakage. Package of eight, $19.95 at Metropolitan Bakery, 262 South 19th St., 215-545-6655 and other locations after Dec. 14. - Maureen Fitzgerald Tres chic, n'est-ce pas?

Add this recipe from Jennifer Perillo's new cookbook to your list of things to do with leftover rotisserie or roast chicken.   Cilantro Chicken Patties   Makes six 3-inch patties About 61/2 ounces boned, skinned roast chicken 1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves 1 small yellow onion About 1/2 cup canola oil, for frying 1 large egg 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin ...

Makes a generous 11/4 cups 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons    extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup raw unsalted cashews 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika (pimento dulce) 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and    coarsely chopped 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1/3 cup water 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt 1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers.

Makes 4 servings 1 romaine lettuce heart, core    removed, cut in 1/2-inch pieces 2 large celery ribs, leaves    trimmed, cut in 1/2-inch pieces 2 ripe avocados, peeled,pitted, cut in    1/2-inch pieces 1 can (14 oz.) hearts of palm,    drained, cut in 1/2-inch pieces 2 ripe tomatoes, cored, cut in    1/2-inch pieces 1 cup canned    chickpeas, drained 1 teaspoon fine sea salt,    plus more to taste 1/4 teaspoon freshly    ground black pepper Juice of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons extra virgin    olive oil 1/4 cup finely chopped    fresh    cilantro   (optional)

Makes 6 servings 1 pound lump or jumbo lump crabmeat 1/4 cup finely chopped flatleaf parsley 1 bunch scallions, roots trimmed, thinly sliced 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs 2 large eggs 1/4 cup milk Pinch of cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 lemon, thinly sliced, for garnish ...

This one-pan meal is bright, intense and satisfying. Using skin-on fish helps keep the delicate chunks from breaking up during cooking. Serve with something green on the side.   Moroccan Fish Stew 4 servings 1 large onion 1-inch piece ginger root 1 large clove garlic 1 1/4 pounds firm, skin-on white-fleshed fish fillets 1/4 cup sliced skin-on almonds 4 teaspoons olive oil 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground turmeric One 3-inch cinnamon stick Pinch cayenne pepper 14 ounces canned, no-salt- added diced tomatoes 1 cup water Sea salt 14 ounces canned, no-salt-added chickpeas 2 teaspoons honey Fresh black pepper Flat-leaf parsley, for garnish (may sub cilantro)

'Tis one of the all-time-great chocolate-chip cookie adaptations, made by Metropolitan Bakery with dried cherries, bittersweet chocolate chunks, and a sprinkle of sea salt. This year, the bakery is packaging them for a fab holiday gift: eight giant cookies in a jar - to keep them fresh and prevent breakage. Package of eight, $19.95 at Metropolitan Bakery, 262 South 19th St., 215-545-6655 and other locations after Dec. 14. - Maureen Fitzgerald Tres chic, n'est-ce pas?

This is caramel corn of the old-fashioned kind - made with butter and brown sugar and a sprinkling of sea salt. Popped in sunflower oil, with no artificial ingredients, it is crispy and crunchy and indulgently delicious. Not a bad offering when popping in on friends. Also available in caramel nut and cheese corn. But the cheese pales in comparison to the caramel. - Maureen Fitzgerald   G.H. Cretors Just the Caramel Corn, $2.50 per 6.5 ounce bag, at Whole Foods stores.

Played to the bone Sean Magee, recently promoted to executive chef at Time, says bone marrow has always sold well at the restaurant, performance space, and whiskey bar, but his clever Chinese-takeout spin on the brasserie standard has enthusiasts as jazzed up as the musicians who jam here every night. Magee originally wanted to do a marrow stir-fry dish, but later decided to play it to the bone, taking sliced-lengthwise veal "canoe cuts" and drizzling them with a from-scratch kung pao sauce spiced with dried Chinese chiles and black and Szechuan peppercorns.

For the beets: 4 medium yellow beets 1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil A few pinches sea salt 2 tablespoons agave nectar For the risotto: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon diced ginger 1 teaspoon diced garlic 1 cup sliced shiitake mushroom caps 2 cups arborio rice Approximately 1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt, to taste 5 cups water 1 cup soy or almond milk 1/4 cup...

Coming home from vacation with memories of the glorious food you ate extends the trip, at least in your mind. Such is the case with our recent trip to Sayulita, Mexico, a quiet beach town near Puerto Vallarta. We loved a toasted pumpkin seed dip, so thick and smoky and rich. Here, it's thinned to serve as a sauce for chicken.   Chicken With Toasted Pumpkin Seed Sauce Makes 4 servings 2 Roma tomatoes 1/2 medium onion, cut in half 1/3 habanero chili pepper 1 tablespoon canola oil 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, divided Freshly ground pepper 1 cup toasted pumpkin seeds 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro 1 tablespoon capers 1 cup chicken stock 1. Roast the tomatoes, onion, and habanero on the stovetop in a dry, heavy skillet over medium-high heat, turning to cook evenly, about 30 minutes.