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.

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

Q: Hi, Mr. Salt Guy. I'm hoping that someone who throws that much salt on the floor can help me with a few questions I have about salt. - Trying to Eat Healthier First, to clarify one point, I am not throwing salt on the floor. What I am doing, and was doing long before the TV show began, is tossing spilled salt with my right hand over my left shoulder. The old saying is that spilled salt is bad luck, but by doing what I do, you'll hit the devil squarely in the eye. It's not that I'm superstitious, but I'm not above maximizing my chances for good luck, knock on wood.

Here's a tasty twist on couscous and a zesty sauce. The sauce also works well with other seafood, chicken or pasta. Beet Couscous and Pan-Seared Orange Roughy With Lemon-Garlic Sauce Makes 4 servings 2 cups Beet Couscous, see recipe 1/4 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil 4 orange roughy or other mild fish fillets, 4 to 6 ounces each 2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground...

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.

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.

CAULIFLOWER SOUP WITH FLORETS AND DILL 1/4 cup butter 2-1/4 cups sliced Spanish onions 3-1/4 pounds cauliflower chopped into small pieces 1 quart milk 1-1/2 cups water 1 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon salt White pepper to taste 1/2 bunch dill wrapped in cheesecloth 1 cup cauliflower florets 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill Salt to taste Melt butter in a pan, then add onions and cook till...

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.

Really tasty chips Yet another all-natural healthy corn chip? No, this one is actually delicious. Stone-ground, yellow-corn tortillas are cooked in sunflower oil and sprinkled with sea salt, resulting in chips with an addictive flavor and crispness. With no artificial ingredients, 3 grams of fiber, and only 85 milligrams of salt.   Organic option For those who like to eat with their hands, Tumaro's Gourmet Organic Flour Tortillas provide a wonderfully sturdy vehicle for meat, vegetables, and sauces.

There's an almost tidal transience to the Jersey Shore dining scene that can be disconcerting to a restaurant's regulars. A hungry Shore bird works so hard to find something special at the beach, it's downright worrisome to find it missing upon your return the following year. Where are those oysters topped with carbonated Meyer lemon foam that I ate in Avalon last summer? What of the strawberry "upcakes" and shrimp-salad lunch boxes they used to pack for the beach at Dixie Picnic in Ocean City?

Q: Hi, Mr. Salt Guy. I'm hoping that someone who throws that much salt on the floor can help me with a few questions I have about salt. - Trying to Eat Healthier First, to clarify one point, I am not throwing salt on the floor. What I am doing, and was doing long before the TV show began, is tossing spilled salt with my right hand over my left shoulder. The old saying is that spilled salt is bad luck, but by doing what I do, you'll hit the devil squarely in the eye. It's not that I'm superstitious, but I'm not above maximizing my chances for good luck, knock on wood.

Having it all Why waste time trying to choose between flavor favorites when you can enjoy them all at one bite? "Everything" bagel chips include sesame and poppy seeds, bits of onion and garlic, plus sea salt, and are oh-so-good. Almost addictive. That leaves just one dilemma: to shmear or not to shmear these melba-like rounds. Bring along a pig What an adorable - and tasty - appetizer for a party: smoked pork and beef salami fashioned into a little porker. Just one of the many delights at this Russian grocery store in the Northeast.

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.