Maldon Salt: The Finishing Touch That Makes Food Better
Its delicate pyramid-shaped flakes add a final burst of flavor, texture and sparkle to almost anything
There is ordinary table salt, and then there is Maldon.
Maldon Sea Salt has been made in the coastal town of Maldon, England since 1882. Careful control of heat and timing produces the company’s signature pyramid-shaped crystals: thin, fragile flakes that crumble easily between the fingers.
Chemically, Maldon is not dramatically different from other culinary salts. Like table salt and kosher salt, it is composed primarily of sodium chloride. Its appeal lies in its shape and texture.
The broad flakes deliver a quick, clean burst of salinity and a delicate crunch before dissolving.
How to Use It
Maldon is best treated as a finishing salt. Season food normally while cooking with kosher salt or fine sea salt, then add a restrained pinch of Maldon immediately before serving.
Take a few flakes between your thumb and fingertips, crush them lightly and scatter them over the finished dish. This gives you control over both the amount and distribution.
It is particularly good on:
Grilled steak, roast chicken and, especially, fish
Tomatoes, cucumbers and avocado
Fried, scrambled or poached eggs
Roasted potatoes and other vegetables
Salads dressed with olive oil
Buttered bread, focaccia and flatbreads
Chocolate-chip cookies, brownies and caramel desserts
Vanilla or chocolate ice cream
Add Maldon at the last possible moment when texture matters. If it sits too long on a moist surface, the flakes dissolve and their distinctive crunch disappears.
When Not to Use It
There is little reason to spend Maldon on pasta water, soup, brines or long-cooked sauces. Once dissolved, its special texture is lost. A less expensive kosher or fine sea salt will do the same job.
Do not substitute Maldon measure for measure in recipes that specify another salt. Salt crystals have very different densities. According to Serious Eats, a tablespoon of Maldon weighs about 7 grams, compared with approximately 18 grams for table salt. For precise cooking and baking, substitute salts by weight rather than volume.
Keep Maldon in a covered salt cellar in a cool, dry place. A box lasts surprisingly long because only a small pinch is needed at a time.
Maldon is not an essential cooking salt. It is something more pleasurable: an inexpensive finishing touch that makes a tomato taste more vivid, a steak more appetizing and a chocolate cookie considerably harder to resist.
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