Hello, darlings! You know how much La Diva just loves her gourmet salt and recently just received a package from a friend with something new to me: Black Lava Sea Salt. Cool. Since I just recently discovered Australian pink salt from the Murry River while dining at friend’s in Sydney, I thought it was high time to post more about these saline delights!
Click on the photo to learn more about this product
The black sea salt is one that I found puzzling. Why was the salt black? I knew that some of the beaches in Hawai’i were black from lava but how could the salt be black? Well, it’s because they add charcoal as an additive. Ahhh….. Why add charcoal, you ask? Good question, La Diva wants to know the answer as well.
I went to their website and it only said this:
Palm Island Premium Black Lava: “Hawaii Kai bonds only the highest purity, highest quality activated charcoal to our White Silver salt in order to create Palm Island Premium Black Lava. Dramatic and delicious, exciting and exotic, Black Lava is a must-have for every home chef.”
The package itself says: “Black Lava contains pure activated charcoal, a proven anti-toxin and digestive aid, and is prized for its luxurious flavor and dramatic appearance-the ideal finishing touch for vegetables, roasts and barbeque.”
Charcoal IS good as a natural aid for stomach and gas ailments (which we won’t mention in detail here, darlings!) Also, it helps prevent the absorption of most poisons or drugs by the stomach and intestines.
Hey, if you really think charcoal is that great for your health, do what the Japanese do and use it as toothpaste! To learn more, click here. But a luxurious flavor? Charcoal? I think not. I think it’s pure marketing. Black sea salt sounds exotic and logical coming from Hawai’i after all. After a bit of research, I’ve seen other black sea salts with charcoal from Cyprus and even an Indian “black” salt called Kala Namak that really isn’t black at all but a light pink and gray and contains no activated charcoal whatsoever.
Black sea salt: Dramatic and flavorful and chock-full of charcoal goodness!
According to the package, Some of the salt comes from Molokai (Hawaiian Sea Salt) while the company blends other salt (Natural Pacific Sea Salt) along with their “mineral-rich Ocean Essence” TM which includes ocean electrolytes, trace minerals and elements. Yeah, whatever, but DOES IT TASTE GOOD?
I have to say it does. The crystals are quite “salty” and comes on strong without any trace of a chemical taste. As it is so strong, I’m certain that a little will go a long way.
Salmon crudo with chili oil and Hawai’ian black sea salt……mmmmmAesthetically, the salt is divine, especially for finishing dishes with contrasting colors like cream sauces, eggs or yogurt. I’m lovin’ it on this salmon crudo I found at foodmayhem and think that it would serve well for presenting and flavoring special dishes more than for every day dinners.
Darlings, come back mañana and we can discover all the delights of the Australian PINK salt from the Murray River! Ciao!
Originally posted 2009-05-12 22:10:00.
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I’ve got some of this from Trader Joe’s some time back and I’ve been using it the same way you have–as a pretty finishing salt. I think there’s such a thing as natural black salt from Hawaii (or maybe I’ve fallen for the marketing nonsense), but I don’t think what we’ve got is it. I use it as a visually interesting finishing salt, same as you. I don’t think it’s good for much else.
I didn’t know you were a saltologist!
I’ve been rocking some smoked salt that Virginia Willis suggested in her latest cookbook. It’s pretty nice especially adding flavor that I might have used bacon for before.
hmmmm…interesting. I’m going to check out that smoky stuff!