Description

What is Guerande salt and where does it come from?

Guérande salt is an unrefined, natural salt enriched with minerals, particularly magnesium. It is harvested by hand in France and is loved all over the world. The origins of Guérande salt stretch far back into history, as it has been harvested since the Iron Age.

Following the Roman conquest in the 3rd century, the first saltworks emerged, utilising the lagoon’s natural evaporation basins. Monks at the Landevennec Abbey carved out the Guerande salt pans as early as 945. By observing the wind and the sun, the monks mapped out the layout of the saltworks, which can still be seen today. This salt-production project opened up Europe’s first trade routes and brought prosperity to Guérande for many centuries.

The techniques used today date back as far as the 9th century, and at least five salt pans from that same period are still in operation. The salt-making tradition in Guérande has survived into the modern era thanks to the professional heritage of the salt workers and the preservation of their skills.

Salt production in the Guérande salt pans is entirely natural. The salt present in the brine accumulates until it crystallises and can be harvested thanks to a system of basins designed to promote the evaporation of the water. Seawater evaporates slowly under the influence of the wind, humid heat and moderate sunlight, and the salt concentration rises to produce the rare (and expensive) Guérande salt.

The grey colour of Guérande salt comes from the rain, which stirs up some of the clay at the bottom of the salt pans.

Guérande salt is a concentrated form of seawater, rich in minerals and containing fewer chlorides than ordinary table salt. With Guérande salt, you can be sure you are consuming natural, unprocessed salt, enriched with minerals beneficial to your everyday health.

Guérande coarse salt is recognisable by its beautiful grey crystals. The fine version of Guérande salt is produced after the coarse salt has been carefully dried, crushed and sieved.

Guerande is also renowned for its oyster farms, and many restaurants serve oysters with Guerande salt.

How is Guerande salt used and what does it taste like?

Guerande salt is an excellent choice for finishing dishes and as a table salt. It is a relatively moist salt, so it does not dry out food when used for seasoning. Furthermore, it is denser than ordinary table salt, so you need to use less of it to bring out the best flavours in your dishes.

Guerande salt enhances all dishes and pairs exceptionally well with meat, seafood and other ingredients found in French cuisine. It can be used to season meat, poultry, fish, pasta or rice; for this, you should definitely choose coarse Guerande salt.

This salt needs to melt to provide a varied salting effect in small droplets of water or grains that dissolve on the tongue.

Salt-crust baking is an interesting cooking technique that works incredibly well with coarse Guérande salt. With this method, fish, poultry or vegetables are encased in a mixture of damp, coarse salt, egg white and, occasionally, herbs.

You should cook them in the oven at a medium heat for at least an hour. This gives the food a wonderful flavour and freshness.

Guerande Fine salt is ideal as an everyday table salt. Thanks to its health-promoting properties, Guerande Fine salt is an excellent choice as a replacement for ordinary table salt.

A delicious dessert to try with our Guerande Fine salt:

caramel and salted butter soufflé

You will need (this recipe serves six people):

• 240ml milk
• Three egg yolks
• Eight egg whites
• 180g caster sugar
• 20g flour
• 20 g cornflour

For the sauce:

• 150g sugar
• 190ml cream
• 120ml MILK
• 1.5 tablespoons of butter
• Guerande coarse salt, to taste

Method:

Soufflé

• First, dissolve the sugar in water in a pan. Remove the caramel from the heat once it has turned brown, then add the warmed milk.
• Before mixing in the flour and cornflour, quickly whisk the egg yolks with the sugar in a bowl. Pour the caramelised milk mixture over the top.
• Heat the mixture again for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk until smooth.
• Whisk the egg whites with the remaining sugar until soft and fluffy. Pour into individual dessert ramekins, lightly greased with butter and dusted with sugar.
• Place the soufflés in a preheated oven (180 degrees) for 15 minutes.
• Once the soufflés are ready, spoon a little sauce into the centre of each one before serving.

Sauce

• First, make the sauce by boiling the sugar with the water.
• Remove the mixture from the heat once the sugar has caramelised, then add the milk, salt and cream.
• Simmer for three minutes and gradually add the butter, stirring continuously.
• Leave it to cool to room temperature, then pour it over the soufflés.

Enjoy! 🙂