FINDS : Salt of the Sea

Salt’s salt, right? Not when you’ve tasted this fleur de sel de Guerande. This is true sea salt, harvested by hand from salt pans near Guerande, a French coastal town south of Brittany. To make the salt, flat areas are flooded with ocean water, then dammed off. The water evaporates, leaving behind the mineral-laden salt.

Almost all of this salt is sold as plain old gros sel de Guerande. A very small amount--about 1%--of the very best salt qualifies as fleur de sel (flower of salt). It’s a salt caked with tradition, harvested only by hand (by rake, actually), only between late June and early September, only in sunny weather and only when there is an easterly wind blowing.

The result is an incredibly complex-tasting product. It’s irregularly grained, light gray in color and noticeably moist. When you taste it, the first thing you notice is that it seems somehow saltier than normal salt, with lots of overlying flavors--almost like a bit of the brine itself. But at the same time, it’s much less harsh than regular salt. It’s a smooth, salty, mild, coarse salt with history.

It had better be. Beau Buck, of Mushroom Man Specialty Products, is selling fleur de sel from the French firm of Rio, Pere et Fils for $49.95 for a 1-kilo bag (about 3 cups). By comparison, a 1.36-kilo box of regular kosher salt sells for between $1.50 and $2. Fleur de sel also comes in half-kilos ($29.95) and 3-ounce spice jars ($15.95).

It may sound silly, but almost everyone in The Times Test Kitchen who tasted it wanted some. To order, call (800) 954-3404.