Three Ways with Salt Blends

Memorial Day is upon us, and summers in Brooklyn, New York are all about the backyard / terrace / fire escape barbecues. Once the weather turns spikes above 70 degrees, you can bet money that you will have two or three weekend cookout invitations to manage. The formula is quite simple – the hosting house usually provides salads and sides, paper plates, napkins and cutlery, and maybe one main dish, like hamburgers. They invitees are asked to bring beer (re: insert your favorite cheap, Mexican variety here) and something to throw on the grill. These ‘extras’ can run the gamut from pre-packages sausages to plump, dirt brown portabella mushrooms to a cut up chicken to a beautiful, well-marbled steak. Anything goes at this sort of party, and the goal is just to have enough to last you through the afternoon and well into the beautiful, cool yet steamy Brooklyn nights.

While you could invite your guests to supply their own sauces and condiments, why not add a little more to the party by providing a homemade salt blend bar? Salt blends are quick and easy to make, require no special equipment outside of a mortar and pestle or food processor, and can be made with common ingredients most of us have in our pantry, far outranking any store-bought barbeque sauce on the self. They are healthier than the store bought varieties as well, which contain non-caking agents and other health-harming preservatives that keep them shakable. But best of all, salt blends carry little to no calories, as opposed to barbecue and other sauces, which can add 50-100 calories per serving!

But in the end, it all comes down to taste and variety. Salt blends are unfussy and can be rubbed into meats or sprinkled over fish or vegetables before cooking or after. Either way they improve flavor. Below are our humble suggestions for basic salt blends, but it’s hard to go wrong with these miracle workers. Mix and match spices and seasonings to your taste – different types of dried chiles impart different flavors, so take a stab at drying out herbs like sage or cilantro or citrus rinds and mixing them in. Your friends will certainly appreciate not having to think ahead, and in the end, you’ll all be enjoying fresh, fast and healthy food that sacrifices nothing in flavor.

Fun fact: Four of the world’s top twenty salt producers are Hispanic countries. Here they are in order – Mexico (6th), Brazil (8th), Chile (9th), Spain (13th).

Southwestern Blend with Chili Powder and Cumin 

• 1/2 cup salt (kosher or sea salt is best)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder or minced, dried garlic
• 2 teaspoons ground chile pepper (I used Coban, but ancho, chipotle or another variety is just fine)

Get the full recipe. 

Fiery Asian Blend with Sesame

• 1/2 cup salt (kosher or sea salt is best)
• 2 tablespoons chopped ginger (pre-dried ground ginger can also be substituted)
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 1/2 star anise
• 1 tablespoon ground chile powder

Get the full recipe. 

Best Steak Ever Espresso Blend

• 1 tablespoon finely ground espresso
• 2 tablespoons grated panela
• 1/2 cup salt (kosher or sea salt is best)

Get the full recipe.