# What to do with fancy sea salt?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-fancy-sea-salt/526155
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [January 23, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-fancy-sea-salt/526155 "2010-01-23T19:53:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Taenia\_spp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taenia_spp)
#### Post date: [January 23, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-fancy-sea-salt/526155/1 "2010-01-23T19:53:50Z")
I received three different varieties of fancy schmancy sea salt as a gift; I’ve got ‘Bamboo Jade’, ‘Red Gold’, and ‘Black Lava’ varieties all from Hawaii. The question is, what the hell do I do with it?
One caveat: I’m a mostly-vegetarian, so things like roasts are generally out.
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### Author:  [@MitzeKatze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MitzeKatze)
#### Post date: [January 23, 2010, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-fancy-sea-salt/526155/2 "2010-01-23T20:05:52Z")
Eat it! 🙂 Seriously, it tastes good and very different than table salt. (Some people will extol the health benefits, but I am uninterested in that aspect and like it mainly for the flavor.)
The Black Lava salt is pretty strong so I would use it sparingly, but if you can’t decide what to use it on, just taste a little bit and see what you think it could improve or what flavors would go well with it or could be enhanced by it. The Red Gold and Bamboo Jade can be used on almost anything (IME) where a finishing salt would be used- I wouldn’t cook or bake with it- but the flavors are again different than table salt and just nice. Try it on something simple like steamed vegetables then go from there depending on your preferences.
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### Author:  [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)
#### Post date: [January 23, 2010, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-fancy-sea-salt/526155/3 "2010-01-23T20:17:54Z")
Use it on the skins of baked potatoes the next time you make them. If you brush the potatoes with olive oil prior to wrapping them in foil, the salt will stick to them. Yum.
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### Author:  [@vifslan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vifslan)
#### Post date: [January 23, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-fancy-sea-salt/526155/4 "2010-01-23T22:02:57Z")
The first I would do would be to taste them individually and find out what kind of flavour profiles they have, and then go to town with experiments. I second the steamed vegetables suggestion, and would add salads, scrambled eggs and sandwiches. I could imagine a hummus and roasted pepper sandwich with a bit of smoked salt.
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### Author:  [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)
#### Post date: [January 23, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-fancy-sea-salt/526155/5 "2010-01-23T22:38:38Z")
I made a type of delicious chocolate cookie that called for _fleur de sel_, but an allowable substitute is sea salt. [This one says you can’t substitute,](http://www.culinate.com/user/rachel+Raphael/recipes/baking/fleur_de_sel_chocolate_cookies) but there are others out there (or just do it anyway - recipe rebel!).
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### Author:  [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)
#### Post date: [January 23, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-fancy-sea-salt/526155/6 "2010-01-23T22:47:35Z")
Really fancy margarita?
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### Author:  [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-fancy-sea-salt/526155/7 "2010-01-24T00:31:51Z")
Knowing me, I’d just eat it. Not all at one go, obviously, but…I’d be tasting it until it was gone, if I liked the flavor.
Also would not be able to resist trying it atop hot chocolate, mmmmyummm…
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### Author:  [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-fancy-sea-salt/526155/8 "2010-01-24T04:56:03Z")
Throw it on stuff and pretend it’s important. It’s really a blend of minerals and salts, but in reality tasters prefer good ol’ NaCl for most stuff.