Salt comes in all shapes and sizes, so it can be tricky knowing which salts work well in a salt mill or grinder. Any type of salt can be ground, but we've found that coarse salt structures grind much better than a flake salt. Grinding can provide a more even distribution to whatever you are salting. The best grinding salts are often rock salts, like our Black Lava Sea Salt, Red Alaea Sea Salt, and Pink Himalayan Sea Salt; which are mined or harvested from ocean water.
In comparison, flake salt–like our Oregon Pure Flake Finishing Sea Salt–has a delicate crystalline structure. The flakes do not necessarily need to be ground, and are best simply sprinkled over dishes. If you want a smaller grade, just crush it with your fingers!
But back to grinding - so which rock salt do you choose? Here's a breakdown of our three favorites:
Our Hiwa Kai Black Lava Sea Salt is sourced from the Pacific Ocean and solar evaporated. Before the salt is completely dry, activated charcoal is added. Beware: this salt may dye your grinder black!
Use Black Lava Sea Salt as you would any other salt! We think it is especially delightful on fruit, like a Salted Mango Lassi.
Red Alaea Sea Salt is also a Pacific sea salt. Sea salt is mixed with volcanic clay or 'alaea,' giving this salt its signature burnt umber color. The clay also provides a variety of minerals.
Rea Alaea Sea Salt is a Hawaiian staple, and is a great addition to seafood. Try it on a Salmon Poke Bowl.
Pink Himalayan Salt is mined from the mountains in Pakistan. This salt is known for its mineral rich properties. Pink Himalayan Salt is tri-colored, and each rock is color-coded to the mineral that is most prevalent; the white rocks are sodium chloride, pink is magnesium, and darker coral rocks contain more iron.
Can't choose just one? Shop our Sourced Grinding Salt Trio.
Subscribe to our newsletter: