Processes Involved in the Production of Salt from the Sea

Sea salt is valued for its purity.

Sea salt is a generic term referring to unrefined salt obtained from the ocean. It is valued by chefs and gourmets for its flavor, and a number of distinct regional varieties are available. Producers often use traditional techniques to collect and process it.

Collection

Sea water is channelled into clay tray beds and allowed to evaporate naturally in the sun and wind. Italian sea salt uses Mediterranean sea water collected off the coast of Sicily whereas French sea salt is collected from the Atlantic. Some producers heat the sea water until salt crystals form on the surface, but both processes are based on the principle of evaporation.

Harvesting

Once the water evaporation process is complete, the salt is collected by raking the salt trays, which is known as "drawing the pan." The crystals are left in bins to drain prior to their transfer to a drying process. Once dried, they are ready for packaging.

Hand Produced

A number of sea salt brands are still hand harvested using traditional techniques that have existed for 200 years. One of sea salt's benefits is the absence of any refinement process, which allows the salt to retain trace minerals, such as iron, magnesium, potassium, zinc, and iodine.

References

• Saltworks: Gourmet Salt and Sea Salt Guide
• Maldon: How Maldon Salt is Made