Japanese Sea Salt

We love Masu Sea Water Salt. It is produced through a low-temperature misting process of coral sea water pumped from 60 feet below the surface of the protected and pristine waters of the East China Sea off Ishigaki Island, south west of Okinawa. The salt that results from this first crystallization has natural trace minerals and unusually high levels of calcium that are easily assimilated by the body. Its crystalline shape, a soft fluffy salt "flake", dissolves easily and it’s deliciously “salty”. We use it for cooking rather than finishing a dish. (For adding that finishing sprinkle of salt we like the large delicate flakes of Maldon Sea Salt. An 8.5-ounce box costs $6.49 plus shipping from saltworks.us).

Masu Sea Salt is a pantry staple at Canal House. We order it along with other things from The Natural Import Company that sells all kinds of beautiful products from pickled shiso leaves and yuzu vinegar, to dried organic chestnuts from the Pacific Northwest of the US. A one-pound bag or 14-ounce jar of salt costs $13.60 plus shipping. Read more about it and, if you like, order it from naturalimport.com.