Description

African Salt Pearls – a real gem in your kitchen. This unique South African sea salt is special for its intriguing mineral and mellow flavour.

African Salt Pearls – a special salt sourced from the world’s deepest and coldest waters. The salt pearls are harvested on a tiny stretch of beach on the Namib coast, bordering the world’s oldest desert. The largely untouched landscapes are home to a unique desert.

Extreme heat and other conditions create the salt pearls, which naturally take on a smooth, round, pearl-like shape. They float at the water’s edge in a variety of sizes. A truly special and beautiful sea salt, whose pearl-like shape sets it apart from all other salts in the world! When tasted, the crystals prickle the tongue slightly and dissolve, leaving a flavour that is both sweet and salty – a mysterious and wonderful sensation.

This is an essential finishing touch used by our most discerning and renowned chefs. Often, the salt pearls are crushed over a dish at the very last minute to give it a slight crunch followed by a delicious melt-in-the-mouth sensation. This salt is definitely the icing on the cake for fish and meat dishes! Recommended by the blog for lovers of oysters and seafood!

Visual appeal matters, and so these larger pearls make a wonderful addition to your salt shaker. Salt pearls are a sophisticated alternative to ordinary coarse sea salt. 

A treasure trove of salt

Any kind of precious metal or stone! Name it, and we’re sure to have the perfect match in the Salt’sUp range. ATLAS SPRING salt is like rose quartz, BAMBOO JADE is like exquisite Chinese jade, BLACK LAVA is like black onyx, CHIPOTLE sparkles like coastal amber, CRYSTAL PINK is like marble from the most majestic cathedral, and CRYSTAL WHITE rivals even the purest diamonds in beauty and clarity.

Environmentally friendly production

African salt pearls are taking kitchens and restaurants around the world by storm precisely because of their exquisite shape and unique flavour. Although it takes a long time for the salt pearls to form, the process itself is environmentally friendly. Renewable energy from the sun and wind, combined with water from the Atlantic Ocean, makes Namibian pearl salt an attractive choice for those who not only appreciate tasty and healthy food, but also care about the well-being of our planet.

The magic of salt pearls

Harvesting pearl salt is difficult and time-consuming. Weeks of labour and 8,000 kilometres separate us from enjoying this rare salt, rich in flavour and emotion.

Why is pearl salt so special?

The crystals form in special pools on the Atlantic coast of the Namib Desert, where the intense sun evaporates the sea mist and the wind rolls the tiny salt crystals into large, beautifully regular-shaped ‘pearls’. The unusual pearl-like shape creates a unique sensation when eaten: upon touching the tongue, the salt crystal cracks, melts, releases its saltiness and then disappears, leaving an almost sweet aftertaste. This effect is due to the composition of African pearl salt, which, in addition to sodium chloride (99.5 per cent), contains potassium, calcium and magnesium

How to use salt pearls?

Pearl salt looks stunning in a salt shaker, glistening like real pearls by candlelight during a romantic dinner. African pearl salt really comes into its own as the finishing touch to a culinary masterpiece, particularly when it comes to fish or other seafood.

Recipe with African pearl salt:

FOCACCIA “NAMIB”

Nature loves to bring opposites together, so, following its example, we combine the elements of water and fire with the earth’s bounty to create a light focaccia with rosemary, which embodies the Namib Desert.

You’ll need:

• 1.5 tsp dried yeast
• 350ml warm water
• 480g flour + extra for dusting the work surface
• 1 tsp Crystal Pink Fine salt
• African salt pearls for decoration
• 70ml olive oil 
• 1 sprig of rosemary (chopped)

Method:

• Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Leave it to stand for a couple of minutes. When the yeast has risen and begins to sink to the bottom, stir the liquid until smooth.
• Mix the flour and Crystal Pink salt in a mixer. With the mixer on a low speed, add the olive oil in a thin stream until it is fully incorporated into the flour. 
• Next, add the yeast mixture to the mixture and continue kneading until a smooth and very sticky dough forms.
• Roll the dough into a ball, drizzle a little olive oil over it so that it completely covers the dough. 
• Cover the bowl tightly with cling film and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for 1–2 hours.
• For the focaccia, take half of the prepared dough and place it on a floured surface. 
• Sprinkle the rosemary over the dough and gently knead it in, taking care not to knock the air out or over-knead the dough. 
• Shape into a large, thin oval and transfer to a baking tray drizzled with olive oil. 
• Drizzle a little olive oil over the dough, cover with cling film and leave in a warm, draught-free place for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees
• Immediately remove the cling film from the dough and use your fingertips to make indentations across the entire surface of the dough. 
• Add a little olive oil and one or two crystals of African pearl salt to each indentation. 
• Bake until golden brown, for about 30–40 minutes.

Doesn’t this remind you of a desert landscape with its sparse vegetation and salt-producing pools? Slice with a standard kitchen knife or pizza cutter and serve the Namib focaccia hot and crispy. Enjoy!