Can’t Live Without It BY JIM MATHIS | PHOTO BY CHANG PHOTOGRAPHY
sodium part of the sodium chloride equation) is important to maintain the body’s proper fluid balance and keep muscles and nerves functioning. Remember the old song from the seventies “Love is like oxygen, you get too much you get too high, not enough and you’re gonna die?” The same could be said for salt. So if salt is evil, why do the food processors put it in everything? Because it makes food taste better. Here’s a little experiment, feel free to follow along at home. As I’m writing this, several varieties of heirloom tomatoes are growing in the garden in my backyard, so I’ve picked a nice ripe Purple Russian. I like nothing more than a really fresh tomato. I slice my prize and taste one slice, just as it is; juicy, sweet and acidic, just about perfect. Now I lightly season another slice with flaky sea salt. I’m not talking about a crusty coating, just a little. What you taste is not so much a salty tomato; it’s a more tomatoey tomato. The salt makes something that is nearly
perfect on its own, even better. So my secret is out—I love salt. A quick survey of my kitchen cabinets reveals a smorgasbord of salt. Of course there is the iconic old blue canister with the little girl in the raincoat on the front, but that one is stuck way in the back and rarely gets used. Then there’s kosher salt, an inexpensive, solid standard for seasoning meats and anywhere I need more than a dash. Next is coarse grey salt, a minerally large grain that is great for finishing dishes. My current favorite is Maldon sea salt; flaky pyramid shaped crystals add a great texture and flavor. We keep a small dish of this on the table. If you’re going to add one fancy salt to your pantry, it should be Maldon. I also have jars of smoked black salt, chunky Himalayan pink salt and a wonderful truffle salt that a friend gave me for dog-sitting. I also have a slab of Himalayan pink that I heat on the grill and use to cook shrimp and scallops—seasoning the seafood while it cooks.
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