I had wanted for a long time to try making herb-infused salt, especially with all the herbs I have in my garden that will soon disappear as the cold sets in. A friend of mine, who is also named Giovanna, follows the Weight Watchers diet and reads my blog; she gave me some tips and I finally tried it.
In my diet I try to reduce fats by adding more flavor with herbs and spices, and this was a great idea. Also, thanks to all the aroma this salt releases, you end up using much less salt because the flavor comes from the aromatic herbs.
For this first batch of herb-infused salt I tried a mix of rosemary, thyme, sage and parsley. It was very easy — there is no need to dry the herbs because the salt preserves and dries them. And what a scent while mixing all the ingredients! I tried this salt on many dishes and was very happy with the result. I also made some as Christmas gifts and here they are:
I gave this rosemary-infused salt to my Dutch relatives one Christmas and packaged it in small jars that I decorated simply. It keeps for a long time, although the bright green color does tend to fade.
You can use this salt for marinades and many recipes, for example:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 15.5 oz total
- Cooking methods: No-cook
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
The herbs you choose should be divided into equal parts. I used rosemary, thyme, sage and parsley. You can use more or less salt and other fresh herbs, but remember the herbs-to-salt proportion is 1:10 by weight.
- 14 oz unrefined sea salt (coarse or fine, preferably organic)
- 1 1/3 cups fresh aromatic herbs (fresh, weight of leaves only)
- Points per serving = 0 WW points
Tools
- Immersion blender
- Jars
- Funnel
Preparation
First, select the freshest herb leaves, discarding any that may have been nibbled by garden insects.
Wash thoroughly and dry the herbs very well. Remove damaged parts and tough stems, and put only the leaves in a bowl.
Place the salt and part of the herbs in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the mixer and, as the herbs reduce in volume, add a bit more until all the leaves are in the processor.
Continue at medium-high speed until you obtain a very fine powder. I started in the large bowl of my food processor and then finished in the smaller cup of the immersion blender (like a mini grinder) and managed to pulverize everything very well.
Pour the salt into sterilized, very dry glass jars, using a cone of parchment paper or a preserving funnel to help.
And here the herb-infused salt is ready to use! Start by using a little: just a few pinches are enough to add a lot of aroma. It’s perfect for marinades — less salt, more flavor!
Here are the little jars I prepared using only 7 oz of salt and about 0.7 oz of rosemary; they were appreciated by my relatives. If you have even smaller jars, like baby-food jars, you could make cute place favors for the Christmas or Easter table that guests can take home.
Let your imagination run wild with decorations and let me know if you liked it and how you gifted it!
Enjoy!
by Giovanna Buono
Storage
It will certainly keep for up to two years thanks to the high salt content acting as a preservative. I kept a small amount in one of my jars on purpose to test, and after 2 years it was still fragrant and excellent. I simply stored it in a dark pantry.
Can I use other herbs?
Certainly: all fresh herbs are fine. The important thing is to keep a weight ratio of 1 part herbs : 10 parts salt. So, for example, if you use 1.06 oz (≈30 g) of herbs you should use 10.6 oz (≈300 g) of salt.
Can I add other ingredients?
Giovanna, the reader who suggested making this salt, also told me you can add a clove or two of garlic in the processor; the garlic will be preserved very well thanks to the salt.
