The Miracle of Salt: Recipes and Techniques to Preserve, Ferment, and Transform Your Food

Red Miso

Miso is an ancient fundamental of the Japanese kitchen. You’ll find the sweet-salty paste used in sauces, marinades, soups, and other dishes where umami is welcome. It is made by fermenting cooked beans or grains with koji, producing a salty, complex depth of flavor.

Herb and Ginger Salt

The Indian state of Uttarakhand—just west of Nepal—has a tradition of making flavored salts called pisi loon. The resulting blend is a beautiful bright green, with an aromatic herbal heat from the combination of green chiles, mint, coriander leaves, and other herbs which adds delicious depth to a variety of dishes.

Salt-Preserved Lemons

A Moroccan staple, salt-preserved lemons are an incredibly versatile pantry essential. Lemons are commonly quartered and then rubbed with salt before being stuffed into jars. After a few months, the preserved lemons will be very soft and sweeter tasting, perfect for everything from sauces to roast chicken to cake.

Brined Tomatoes

The distinctive Easter European take on tomatoes is very simple to make and a refreshing accompaniment to any meal. Brined tomatoes, preserved by fermentation without vinegar, are a distinctive food, a great way to extend the summer.

Kimchi Aioli

The spicy, umami flavors of kimchi make this spread a perfect accompaniment to beef or pork sandwiches, hamburgers, or freshly grilled vegetables—it’s especially delicious on corn on the cob, or as a condiment for grilled chicken or shellfish.

Kebabs Marinated with Fish Sauce and Pomegranate Molasses

A twist on a classic dish, these delicious skewers are marinated in Pomegranate Molasses and fish sauce. The fish sauce adds an umami saltiness to the usual tart-sweet flavor of traditional Persian-style kebabs.

Spaghetti Mentaiko

This fusion dish created in Japan uses salted fish roe to make a simple, buttery sauce. Strands of toasted nori provide additional salt and umami, in place of traditional grated cheese.

Salted Almond Chocolate Brittle

An airy version of nut brittle, with surprising savory overtones from soy sauce, this treat is made of toasted almonds topped with a skim of dark chocolate, and an added flourish of flaky salt, if you like.

Noto Peninsula, Japan

Maras, Peru

Lac Rose, Senegal

Burang, Nepal