My New Secret Ingredient for Simple and Fresh Cooking

My husband I were watching an old episode of “Mind of a Chef” the other day. And in it, Chef April Bloomfield (um, love her — she’s so funny and awesome) checks out how sea salt is made and gets to taste some of the best salt in the world.
Which got me thinking: Have I ever had really good sea salt? Honestly, I usually just get whatever is at Target or Whole Foods whenever I run out and call it a day. But am I missing an opportunity here? An opportunity that lies in the most basic of basic cooking ingredients? Have I somehow turned a blind, uneducated cooking eye on what may be one of most fundamental parts of cooking … ahem, seasoning?
Well, damn. I have. Good sea salt is everything.
And it took Celtic Sea Salt sending us a ton of their products to hammer the point home. (Celtic Sea Salt, where have you been all my life?!)

Sea salt is said to do pretty much improve anything and everything related to your health due to its trace minerals (namely iodine). I’m not sure I’m feeling the benefits of that just yet, but I like this ingredient list.

What I am feeling though is the effect of quality sea salt on my cooking. Or even salad-ing. Which, honestly, I think the more simple the better when it comes to making the most of this sea salt. It’s just so … beautiful. And it tastes amazing. Salty, yes, you could guess that. But it’s got a strength and depth to the flavor that is just a little bit more than your usual table salt. And the crystals give it some texture and beauty.
I made a simple tomato, sharp white cheddar, basil and olive oil salad the other day when we grilled out, and a sprinkle of the Celtic Sea Salt Flower of the Ocean really made it shine. I’ve never gotten so many compliments on a simple salad like this before.

And then there’s the smoked sea salt. Shut. The. Front. Door. It made me angry it was so good. Smokey in such a rich and almost buttery way. It’s an instant way to add flavor to pretty much anything you’re cooking. I love it so hard. Fantastic on grilled fish or roasted mushrooms for an extra meaty flavor (minus the extra meat).

And the Seaweed Seasoning and Garlic Salt? Well, let me just tell you that those are AMAZING on everything from roasted veggies to popcorn to eggs.
I have more Celtic Sea Salt goodies to try (Roasted Sesame with Flax? Bring it!), but just a few meals in using these sea salts and I’m sold. Good quality sea salt makes all the difference in the world.
Have you ever played around with different types of sea salt? You know how I like to taste things, so this is pretty darn exciting for me. —Jenn