Best Sea Salt Recipes

CRISPY ROSEMARY SEA SALT FLATBREAD CRACKERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicon mat or parchment paper.
• Place flour, salt, sugar, and grated cheese in a mixing bowl. Stir together until well mixed. Add rosemary; drizzle with olive oil and add water. Mix with a fork until mixture comes together in a fairly sticky dough and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Transfer dough onto floured surface and add flour as you knead the dough. Knead until it no longer sticks to work surface, 4 to 5 minutes. Divide dough in half.
• Dust work surface with flour. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness or less. Brush or mist surface of dough very lightly with water. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Prick the entire surface of dough with the tines of a fork to prevent crackers from puffing too much when baking.
• Cut each rolled out half into about 30 pieces with a pizza wheel. You can cut them out in squares, rectangles, or triangles--your choice. Transfer onto prepared baking sheet with a bench scraper or your floured fingers (dough will be very sticky).
• Bake in preheated oven until perfectly browned and crunchy, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness.

HOMEMADE CARAMELS WITH DARK CHOCOLATE AND SEA SALT

Steps:

• Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.
• Combine white sugar, 1/2 cup cream, light corn syrup, and butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup cream. Cook, without stirring, until mixture reaches 242 degrees (117 degrees C), or until a small amount of the caramel mixture forms a firm yet pliable ball when dropped in cold water. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract.
• Pour caramel mixture into baking pan. Allow to cool slightly. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, 8 hours to overnight.
• Remove baking pan from the fridge and allow caramel mixture to warm up slightly, about 30 minutes. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.
• Combine dark and semisweet chocolate chips with shortening in a microwave-safe glass or ceramic bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each melting, about 1 1/2 minutes.
• Cut caramel into 1-inch squares. Dip caramel squares in melted chocolate, shaking off excess. Place on lined baking sheet; sprinkle with sea salt. Chill until hardened, about 1 hour.

LEMON-ROSEMARY OLIVE OIL CAKE WITH BLACKBERRY-RASPBERRY ICE CREAM AND A BLACK SEA SALT SUGAR COOKIE

Steps:

• For the blackberry-raspberry ice cream: Place the cream, milk, sugar and salt in a saucepan and bring to a low simmer.
• Whisk the eggs in a bowl. When cream mixture reaches 130 degrees F on a thermometer, quickly whisk in the eggs. Cook, stirring constantly, until the thermometer registers 170 degrees F. Remove from the heat and pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve.
• Whisk the blackberry puree into the custard, then cool over an ice bath. Transfer to an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.
• Meanwhile, combine the raspberry puree and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by one-third. Let cool.
• When the ice cream is done churning, transfer it to a rectangular container. Drop spoonfuls of the raspberry mixture on top of the ice cream and swirl in with a butter knife. Freeze.
• For the lemon-rosemary olive oil cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan (or 8 individual springform pans) with vegetable spray.
• Combine the sugar and eggs in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment; mix just to combine. With the mixer on low speed, slowly drizzle in the olive oil, making sure the oil is well incorporated and emulsified.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl.
• In a second bowl or a measuring cup, combine the milk, lemon juice, lemon zest and rosemary.
• Add the flour to the stand mixer in three additions, alternating with the milk mixture (2 additions). Begin and end with the flour, and be sure to whisk well after each addition--the batter will be runny. Pour the batter in the prepared springform pan.
• Bake until the cake is a deep golden brown and bounces back when lightly pressed, 45 to 55 minutes (20 to 25 minutes for individual pans).
• Cool to room temperature on a rack, then remove the cake from the pan.
• For the lemon-rosemary glaze: In a bowl, whisk together the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and rosemary until a glaze consistency similar to heavy cream is achieved. Adjust the consistency with more lemon juice or powdered sugar as needed.
• For the candied lemon peel: Combine the sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then turn off heat.
• Using a vegetable peeler, peel the zest from the lemons; slice thinly.
• Blanch the lemon zest twice in boiling water, changing the water in between. After the second blanching, strain and add the lemon zest to the simple syrup.
• Bring the simple syrup to a boil, then turn off the heat and let the lemon zest sit in the simple syrup until translucent and cooled.
• For the black salt sugar cookies: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg and mix until combined. Add the salt and flour and mix until a dough forms.
• Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 to 45 minutes.
• Roll out the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness, then cut out cookies using a raindrop-shaped cutter.
• Transfer the cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle lightly with black sea salt and blue sanding sugar.
• Bake in a 350-degree oven until golden brown at the edges, 12 to 14 minutes.
• For the raspberry coulis: Combine the raspberry puree and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by one-quarter. Let cool.
• For the passion fruit coulis: Combine the passion fruit puree and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced by one-quarter. Let cool.
• To finish: Glaze the cake with the lemon-rosemary glaze and top with the candied lemon peel.
• Serve with the two coulis and the ice cream and cookies on the side.

SEA SALT-ROASTED PECANS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Toss pecans and melted butter in medium bowl to coat. Add sea salt and toss. Spread pecans in single layer on rimmed baking sheet.
• Bake until fragrant and slightly darkened in color, about 15 minutes. Cool pecans on baking sheet.

THYME-SEA SALT CRACKERS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, whisk flours and salt. Gradually add water and 1/4 cup oil, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Divide dough into 3 portions., On a lightly floured surface, roll each portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 1-1/2-in. round cookie cutter. Place 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Prick each cracker with a fork; brush lightly with remaining oil. Mix thyme and sea salt; sprinkle over crackers., Bake 9-11 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.

SAUTé POTATOES WITH SEA SALT & ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Put the whole unpeeled potatoes in a pan of water. Bring to the boil and cook for 15 mins. Drain and leave to cool. Can be done several hours ahead.
• When ready to serve, strip the skins from the potatoes, then cut them into thick slices. Heat the oils together in a very large non-stick frying pan. Add the potatoes in a single layer if there is room, and cook for 10-15 mins, tuning them frequently with a fish slice until they are golden and crispy. Sprinkle with the rosemary and flaky salt, then serve.

GIANT PEANUT BUTTER DARK CHOCOLATE SEA SALT BUCKEYES

Steps:

• Melt the white chocolate chips in a medium glass heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water on medium-low heat. Stir until melted. Remove from the heat but keep the bowl over the warm water. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combine the peanut butter, butter and vanilla extract. Mix together until smooth. Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until incorporated. Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the melted white chocolate and beat on medium until smooth, about a minute. Place the bowl in the freezer until the mixture is firm enough to form a ball, about 30 minutes.
• Using a small scoop or spoon, roll the peanut butter mixture into about the size of a golf ball. Set on a parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining mixture. Freeze until firm, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the freezer and roll the scoops into smooth balls. Plunge lollipop sticks or short, thick skewers into the centers of the balls. Freeze for another 15 to 20 minutes.
• Melt the dark chocolate in a medium glass heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water on medium-low heat. Stir until melted. Sprinkle in the espresso powder and stir. Taste the chocolate; if you want more coffee flavor, add more espresso powder 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Keep the bowl over the pot of hot water to keep it hot while dipping.
• Holding the balls by the skewers, dip the balls only three-quarters of the way into the melted dark chocolate, leaving a quarter inch of exposed peanut butter at the top (this way, it looks like a real buckeye). Let the excess chocolate drip off, then quickly sprinkle a pinch of flaky salt or pink salt right on top. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set, about 1 hour. Remove the skewers from the buckeyes. Keep in the freezer until ready to serve.

PEPPER-VODKA-SOAKED CHERRY TOMATOES WITH SEASONED SEA SALT

Steps:

• Poke 5 or 6 holes with a wooden pick or skewer in each tomato and put in a shallow bowl. Pour vodka over tomatoes and let stand, covered, tossing occasionally, 1 to 2 hours, or until soaked to desired taste.
• In a small bowl stir together salt and pepper.
• Serve tomatoes with seasoned salt for dipping.

LEMON BARS WITH OLIVE OIL AND SEA SALT

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees and line a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with enough parchment to hang over two of the sides (to be used as handles later to lift the bars out of the pan).
• To make the shortbread base, pulse together the flour, granulated sugar, confectioners' sugar, lemon zest and salt in a food processor, or whisk together in a large bowl. Add butter and pulse (or use two knives or your fingers) to cut the butter into the flour until a crumbly dough forms. Press dough into prepared pan and bake until shortbread is pale golden all over, 30 to 35 minutes.
• While the shortbread is baking, prepare the lemon curd: Grate 1/2 tablespoon zest from lemons and set aside. Squeeze lemons to yield 3/4 cup juice.
• In a small saucepan, whisk together lemon juice, sugar, eggs and yolks, cornstarch and fine sea salt over medium heat until boiling and thickened, 2 to 5 minutes. Make sure mixture comes to a boil and stays there for 30 seconds or so; you should see it thicken up before you take it off the heat. But once it boils do not cook for longer than 1 minute or you risk the curd thinning out again. Remove from heat and strain into a bowl. Whisk in butter, olive oil and lemon zest.
• When the shortbread is ready, take it out of the oven and carefully pour the lemon curd onto the shortbread base; return the pan to the oven. Bake until topping is just set, 10 to 15 minutes more. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold before cutting into bars. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and flaky sea salt right before serving.

CHOCOLATE-ALMOND BARK WITH SEA SALT

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or foil. Combine sugar with 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and cook, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with a wet pastry brush, until caramel is dark amber, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Immediately add butter; whisk until melted. Add almonds; stir until well coated. Transfer to baking sheet, spreading out to separate nuts. Let cool. Break up any large clumps of nuts. Set aside 1/4 of nuts.
• Stir chocolate in a medium bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until melted. Remove from heat, add nuts from baking sheet, and stir quickly to combine. Spread chocolate-nut mixture on same baking sheet, keeping nuts in a single layer. Top with the reserved nuts; sprinkle with salt. Chill until chocolate is set, about 3 hours.
• Break bark into pieces and store between layers of parchment or waxed paper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Keep chilled.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH SEA SALT AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place asparagus pieces in large bowl. Add Parmesan cheese, butter, garlic, black pepper, Diamond Crystal® Coarse Sea Salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Toss to coat evenly.
• Transfer asparagus to baking dish in a single layer. Bake until asparagus is tender and beginning to brown, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

POTATOES ROASTED WITH ROSEMARY AND SEA SALT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss potatoes with oil, salt and pepper in medium bowl to coat. Transfer potatoes to small baking sheet; roast 20 minutes, stirring once.
• Add garlic and rosemary to potatoes; toss. Roast until potatoes are just tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer to plate; serve.

BOURBON-SEA SALT CARAMELS

Steps:

• Lightly coat an 8x8" baking pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment paper, leaving a 2" overhang on 2 sides; spray parchment.
• Bring sugar, corn syrup, and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Cook, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture turns a deep amber color, 8-10 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat and whisk in sweetened condensed milk and butter (mixture will bubble vigorously) until smooth. Fit pan with thermometer and return to medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until thermometer registers 240°F. Remove from heat and whisk in bourbon and kosher salt. Pour into prepared pan; let cool. Sprinkle caramel with sea salt, cut into 3/4" pieces, and wrap individually in parchment paper.
• DO AHEAD: Caramels can be made 2 weeks ahead. Store wrapped tightly in plastic in airtight container at room temperature.

EASY CASHEW SEA SALT TOFFEE

Steps:

• Butter the top edges of a 2-quart microwave-safe casserole. Add butter, 1 teaspoon of the Diamond Crystal® Sea Salt, sugar, and water to the casserole. DO NOT STIR. Microwave on high for 6 to 8 minutes. Check contents for color change. Continue microwaving on high a minute at a time until the mixture just begins to turn a tan color. You need to watch it carefully, and remember: DON'T STIR.
• Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the chopped cashews into a 9-into circle on a Silpat mat, parchment paper, or on a buttered baking sheet.
• Carefully pour the liquid mixture evenly over the top of the cashews. Immediately sprinkle on the chocolate chips. Allow to sit for 1 minute to melt the chocolate.
• Use spatula to smooth out chocolate over the entire sheet of candy.
• Sprinkle the remaining cashews and 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal® Sea Salt over the top. Refrigerate to cool completely. When cool, break into bite-sized pieces. Store tightly covered in refrigerator.

SEA SALT AND ROSEMARY PIZZA BIANCA BITES WITH MORTADELLA AND MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup warm water in a bowl; add sugar, stir, and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
• Mix 3 1/2 cups flour with rosemary and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Pour the yeast mixture into flour mixture; slowly add 11 ounces warm water and mix until dough holds together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
• Grease a large glass bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Place dough in the bowl, turning once to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place into a cool oven with the oven light on until dough has doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Line a rimless baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons flour over parchment paper. Turn risen dough onto the parchment paper and flatten it gently with your hands, forming a 9x13-inch rectangle.
• Place baking sheet into the oven, with the oven light on, until dough has risen, another 1 1/2 hours.
• Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over dough and top with coarse sea salt.
• Position your oven rack slightly lower than center, and place a baking stone on the rack.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Gently slide the parchment off of the sheet pan and onto the baking stone.
• Bake dough in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. Gently lift the crust using a pizza peel or large spatula and pull the parchment paper out so that the crust is directly on the baking stone.
• Continue to bake until crust is golden brown, 15 to 16 minutes more. Transfer crust to a cooling rack to cool completely, at least 30 minutes.
• Slice the crust into small squares. Cut each square in half horizontally so that you have a top and a bottom. Fold a mortadella slice in half and then in half again; place on top of the pizza bottom. Layer a basil leaf on top of mortadella and top with a mozzarella slice. Add the pizza top and secure with an appetizer pick. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

OLIVE OIL-BAKED BEET CHIPS WITH SEA SALT AND BLACK PEPPER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Using a mandoline, thinly slice beets to a thickness of 1/16". In a large bowl, toss beet slices with oil to coat evenly.
• On prepared baking sheets, in a single layer, arrange as many slices as will fit without crowding. Bake until crisp, 25-30 minutes, rotating pans once halfway through baking. Cool chips and blot with paper towels to remove any excess oil. Repeat, using a cool prepared baking sheet for each batch, until all beet slices are baked.
• Toss chips with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste.

CHOCOLATE SEA-SALT BROWNIE ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. In a bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and kosher salt. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over (but not in) a pot of simmering water, or in the microwave, stirring every 10 seconds.
• Stir in shortening and vanilla to combine. Beat eggs with both sugars on medium-high speed until pale, fluffy, and doubled in volume, about 5 minutes. Gently fold in flour and chocolate mixtures, alternating in two additions each, just to combine (do not overmix).
• Scoop 1-ounce (2-tablespoon) balls of dough; transfer to prepared sheets, spaced 2 inches apart. Sprinkle tops with flaky salt. Bake, rotating sheets and rack positions halfway through, until cookies spread and dome, with small cracks beginning to form on tops, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to racks and let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, temper ice cream in refrigerator until softened but not melting, about 20 minutes. Sandwich 1/4 cup ice cream between 2 cookies; repeat with remaining ice cream and cookies. Freeze until ice cream is firm, at least 1 hour, then transfer to a freezer bag to store up to 1 week.

ROSEMARY-LEMON SEA SALT

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Spread onto a parchment paper-lined pan. Let stand overnight. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months.

PEPPER VODKA-SOAKED CHERRY TOMATOES WITH SEASONED SEA SALT

Steps:

• Poke 5 or 6 holes with a wooden pick or skewer in each tomato and put.
• in a shallow bowl.
• Pour vodka over tomatoes and let stand, covered, tossing occasionally, 1 to 2 hours, or until soaked to desired taste.
• In a small bowl stir together salt and lemon pepper.
• Serve tomatoes with seasoned salt for dipping.

CHOCOLATE CARAMELS WITH SEA SALT

Steps:

• Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving an extra inch or two hanging over the sides.
• In a small saucepan, heat butter and cream until melted and hot, but do not allow mixture to boil.
• Make the caramel: Pour sugar into a large saucepan fitted with a candy or instant-read thermometer. Heat sugar over medium heat until areas begin to melt and turn brown. Using a wooden or silicone spoon, stir melted areas to redistribute the heat. Continue to melt sugar, stirring gently to break up clumps until it is dark brown, bubbling and clear, about 330 degrees. This will take about 15 minutes.
• Immediately pour cream-butter mixture through a strainer into caramelized sugar, but be careful: It will bubble wildly. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat to 255 degrees. This will take about 10 minutes.
• Reduce heat to very low, add chocolate, and stir until melted and smooth.
• Pour mixture into lined pan and let cool 20 minutes. Sprinkle salt on top. Let cool at room temperature until firm, about 3 hours or overnight. (If weather is hot and humid, chill in refrigerator.)
• When caramels are cool and firm, use the parchment paper or aluminum foil to lift caramel slab out of pan. Using a large sharp knife and a ruler, cut into small squares, about 3/4 inch. Refrigerated caramel will need to soften slightly at room temperature before cutting.