Step aside, garlic salt, sriracha and his buddies are here and they’re waking up tastebuds around town. Loved by food enthusiasts all around the world, these finishing salts add a pop of flavor to everything they touch.
In this post I’m sharing four salt flavors that can take dishes from ho-hum to oh my faster than you can say Jack Robinson: chili lime, vanilla, rosemary and lemon, and sriracha.
They’re incredibly simple to make, too. Tuck them in a box for a simple and elegant edible gift, or wrap a single jar in brown craft paper with a simple bow. Give as a housewarming gift, wedding favor, or holiday set, but make sure to keep some for yourself as well!
What Kind Of Salt Should I Use?
When you make flavored salt, it’s really up to you. Coarse salt adds dramatic flair when sprinkled over dishes just before serving, while finely ground salt is more useful in recipes. This beautiful Makai Deep Sea Salt was given away at a conference I recently, so that’s what I used. (It’s delicious sprinkled over gluten-free soft pretzels, too.)
Chili Lime Salt Recipe
This fiery blend of red pepper flakes and tangy lime is amazing over fajitas, taco, french fries with chipotle mayo, and, um, just about everything in your kitchen.
Ingredients
Makes about ¼ cup – I fill these jars with this blend
- ¼ cup unrefined salt (For coarse salt, I like this brand and this brand. I also like their fine salts – found here and here)
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (where to find organic red pepper flakes)
- 1½ teaspoons fresh organic lime zest
Equipment
Microplane zester (like this) or cheese grater
Instructions
Using the microplane zester or cheese grater, remove the outer zest from the lime. Make sure not to peel off the bitter white pith, just the outside will do. Lay zest on a towel and allow to air dry for a few hours, then combine with salt and crushed red pepper flakes. Pour salt into a pretty jar and use liberally.
Vanilla Salt Recipe
Served with strawberries or sprinkled over chocolate, this delicate salt adds a surprising pop of flavor to sweets and treats.
Ingredients
Makes about ¼ cup – I fill these jars with this blend
- ¼ cup salt (For coarse salt, I like this brand and this brand. I also like their fine salts – found here and here)
- 1-2 vanilla beans (Find them here and use the leftovers for homemade vanilla extract, custard, and more)
Equipment
- Sharp knife (like this)
- Coffee grinder (this is the one I have)
Instructions
Using a sharp knife, cut a slit down the entire length of the vanilla bean. Then, with the tip of your knife, scrape out the seeds in the center, which should have a paste-like consistency. Place a small amount of salt in the coffee grinder with the vanilla beans and pulse until completely combined. Add the vanilla/salt mixture to the rest of the salt and thoroughly mix with a spoon.
Sriracha Salt Recipe
This fiery finishing salt is delightful over fried, eggs, grilled chicken, roasted veggies, and even salads.
Ingredients
Makes about ¼ cup – I fill these jars with this blend
- ¼ cup salt (For coarse salt, I like this brand and this brand. I also like their fine salts – found here and here)
- 1 tablespoon sriracha (This is a good, non-GMO sriracha. My kids like it, but I have to add a little spice because it’s not quite hot enough for me.)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350F. Mix sriracha and salt together and spread over a baking sheet. Turn off the oven and then place salt inside and let it sit for 3-4 hours, or until fully dried out.
Rosemary & Lemon Salt Recipe
This herbaceous finishing salt (in the top left corner of the above photo) is delicious when sprinkled over pasta, soups, and salads.
Ingredients
Makes about ¼ cup – I fill these jars with this blend.
- ¼ cup salt (For coarse salt, I like this brand and this brand. I also like their fine salts – found here and here)
- 1½ teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
- 1½ teaspoons dried organic rosemary
Instructions
Using the microplane zester or cheese grater, remove the outer zest from the lemon. Make sure not to peel off the bitter white pith, just the outside will do. Lay zest on a towel and allow to air dry for a few hours, then combine with remaining ingredients and transfer to a jar for storage/use.
Kelsey
What other mushrooms could you use? Or that I could combine with the porcini?
Thank you!
Heather
You could use any kind of dried mushrooms 🙂
Jenn
Hi Heather, your salts are amazing and everyone always loves getting them as a gift. I can’t seem to find the ratios for the Rosemary & Lemon salt, only that salt is involved 😉 Can you update that please?! Thank you and for all of your creativity!
Heather Dessinger
Hi Jenn, I’m so sorry about that! Looks like part of the recipe was deleted somehow. I just added the missing info back in. 🙂
Raquel
Are these self preserved?
Kelly
Where did you get the cute glass spice jars?
Loulie
I bought mine at Michaels or any craft store.
E
World Market has really nice spice jars
Michelle
Hi, these are great!! I will be trying to make a few soon. What kind of labels did you use?
Heather
I used some brown craft labels that I had leftover from another project. They were too big so I trimmed them down 🙂
Jessica
Wow. This is absolutely brilliant. I’ll definitely be making myself a set of these (and gifts for others!) Thank you, thank you!
Cyndi
How long do I bake the Sriracha salt?
Vandana
Heat your oven to 350 and switch off as she has instructed. Put your tray inside and relax. Let the heated oven do the job ?
Janet
These are really nice, Heather! It’s a new gift idea for me. And also great to have on hand!
angela
how to use the vanilla salt?
Ruth
If you do the Sriracha salt at 350 it burns! I recommend doing it MUCH lower!
Heather
In this tutorial, I recommend pre-heating the oven to 350F, then turning the oven off when you place the salt inside. When the salt is very wet it won’t burn, and the temperature of the oven naturally lowers as it dries out.
Remi
I agree that 350F for pre-heat is too hot. I just burnt a batch.
Monica
I’m making 3 of these for my brothers Christmas gift. The chili lime salt with this Thai broth… Heavenly. Please do me a favor and try it! 🙂 http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2013/02/simple-thai-broth-oh-so-soothing-delicious.html
Harry Kuheim
Oh no…another food processing obsession…. I go to our beach in the San Juan Islands and get a gallon of Sea Water…put it in a Crock Pot on low and a day and a half later…Viola! 1/2 Pt Sea Salt…I just used a 1/4 Cup of it on a small amount of Lime Chile Salt! Gunna’ put it on Pork Chops on the BBQ.
Missy
For the vanilla salt, the description is a little ambiguous. We scrape out the insides and that is what goes in the processor with the salt, correct? We don’t put the bean “shell” in?
Peta
Hi Missy
I wouldn’t whizz up the pod but definitely put it on the container with salt!
Cheers Peta
Kelly Colburn
Any suggestions of what you can use the rosemary and lavender salt for?
Rachel
I think it was rosemary and LEMON 🙂 but lavender work work too… Maybe over some vanilla ice cream for a salty sweet treat
Lesley Docherty
Would like to purchase these salts especially the chilli n lime salt
Jinette
How long can I keep these. And, what is the best way.
Ev
Um… the recipe for Rosemary Lemon Salt doesn’t have any lemon in it. Shouldn’t that be Rosemary Lavender Salt? Or should there be lemon zest in the recipe instead of lavender? Some great ideas here; that one’s just a bit confusing.
Heather
Thanks for catching that, Ev! I recently updated these recipes and apparently forgot to switch out the ingredient list for this one. Just updated 🙂
Ariel
Man I had bought and made labels for rosemary lavender salt! Now I have this stuff for no reason.
Maybe next time put a big “EDITED” note next to it?
Heather
Hi Ariel, here is the recipe:
3/4 cup salt
2 tablespoons dried organic lavender
2 tablespoons dried organic rosemary
Instructions
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and then transfer to a jar for storage/use.
Penny
Since I didn’t see the original lavender Rosemary salt post, what do you recommend using that on?
Wendy Baker
What happened to the bacon salt recipe? It’s on the photo and I swear I looked at the recipe recently and now I don’t see it.
Heather
Hey Wendy! I decided to pare down this post to salts that have a super long shelf life – and honestly, because the porcini was hit or miss depending on the specific batch of mushrooms I used – but in case you need it here is the bacon salt recipe 🙂
Ingredients
½ cup unrefined salt
8 ounces thin cut bacon
Equipment
Cookie sheet
Parchment paper
Coffee grinder (this is the one I have)
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375F. Crinkle up your parchment so that there are grooves for the bacon grease to drip into, then lay bacon across and cook for until completely crisp. Mine took about 25-30 minutes, but you’ll want to start checking around the 15 minute mark to make sure the bacon doesn’t burn.
Once the bacon is crisp, transfer it to a paper towel and let the grease drain off. Blot it if needed and then place in the coffee grinder and pulse until it reaches the consistency you prefer.
Nearly all versions of bacon salt that I’ve found online call for it to be stored in the fridge. I’m not sure that’s necessary given that salt is used to cure meats, but because I could not find any definitive resources on the subject I decided to keep mine in the fridge just in case.
Taylor
Where’d the mushroom salt recipe go? We bought all the ingredients to make it, then came back and it was gone!
Heather
Hi Taylor! I decided to pare down this post to salts that have a super long shelf life – and honestly, because the porcini was hit or miss depending on the specific batch of mushrooms I used. Here is the recipe:
Makes about ¾ cup
1/3 cup dried wild porcini mushrooms, which is about 3 tablespoons ground
3/4 cup unrefined sea salt
angie
Hi Heather! Love the ideas. I’m trying the seasoned salts this year for gifts for co-workers. The even after leaving the sriracha salt in the oven over night, it still seems a bit moist to me. Is that right or will it actually completely dry? Thanks!
Sally
Lemon & rosemary or thyme are my favourite! I usually add both the zest and the juice of the lemon, this way as it dries out in the oven at low heat (70-90º celsius approx 2 hr) the salt absorbs the lemon juice and the result is tangy and delicious!
Jill
If I wanted to do the vanilla but don’t have any beans, could I do what you did with the sriracha? Mix a tiny amount of vanilla extract with some loose salt and grind it together or would the extract completely dissolve the salt?