Design

Working on most anything with Sal del Mar is just plain fun!  But my favorite part is working on ideas for new hand-embroidered bag designs.  It is hard to know what inspires a design, but sometimes, it just starts with seeing something and then letting it evolve.  

Like noticing at early morning coffee...the blues on blues. The napkin, The edge of the painted tray.

Or the blue in the sky and the Sea of Cortez.

Sometimes, it’s just colors that become the design. We were dazzled by how the embroiderers used their different colored threads of blue to capture two Sal del Mar designs. They’re called: “The Cod” and “Blue Monotone.” They are available in our Shop.

Earth Day

It's Earth Day and I have been thinking a lot about Sal del Mar and our impact on our environment. We have been proud of the fact that our product does not cause pollution. When we started our business, it was important to find a product that not only was a gourmet sea salt that would enhance the taste of food, but also didn't cause pollution. We found such a sea salt "farm" on the Sea of Cortez and the sea salt is harvested using traditional, non-mechanical means. 

Our "packaging" for Sal del Mar's hand-embroidered bags is made of natural muslin and linen and is hand-embroidered by the women in Sabinito, Mexico. We enjoy a partnership that doesn't disrupt the traditional lifestyle of the village but, in fact, provides additional income to the women embroiders to help support their families.

Our New Arrival

I think I now know what fashion designers go through before they show a new line each season. Well, it might not be quite as intense, but I certainly experienced the anticipation and excitement while creating our latest bag design which we named the "Oyster Shell."

I love the design. I was inspired when I Googled “Sea of Cortez Pearl” and found that the Sea of Cortez is famous for its pearls. In fact, the Cortez Pearl was discovered by Spanish Conqueror Hernán Cortez on one of his first expeditions in 1533 (click here if you want to learn more).

I give our embroiderers in the village of Sabinito most of the credit because their intricate craftsmanship gave the design something that couldn't be drawn on paper... life and beauty.

The Oyster Shell bag is available through our website, select stores and markets throughout the U.S. and Mexico.

Holiday Time in Mexico

Our first Sal del Mar “tasting” held in Mexico was a big hit. It took place at the Sagitario gift shop in San Carlos, Sonora, a Mexican port town on the Sea of Cortez, near where we harvest our flavorful Sal del Mar sea salt.

The best part of the Sagitario “tasting” was when Vivian Arellano-Bennett brought us a box of Chocolate Holiday Bark candy she made using Sal del Mar as “snow.” Her recipe is an interpretation of an Ina Garten recipe and it was amazing. I must admit, I was a bit wary... even though salted chocolates and carmel are very popular, I just wasn’t sure how I would like chocolate and salt together. But what I discovered is that Sal del Mar brings out a new dimension of flavor in chocolate. It's an easy recipe and a way to pair Sal del Mar with a box of homemade chocolates for the holidays. In fact, the Editor at House Beautiful chose Sal del Mar as one of her favorite gourmet gifts to give this holiday season!

Here's the recipe...

Chocolate Holiday Bark with Sal del Mar Snow Adapted from an Ina Garten 2007 recipe. Prep time: 15 min Inactive Prep time: 2 hrs Cook Time: 10 min Serves: 24 pieces

Ingredients:  8 ounces very good semisweet chocolate, finely chopped 8 ounces very good bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 1 cup whole pistachios, chopped 1/2 cup dried cranberries, chopped Sal del Mar, to taste and sight

Directions:  On parchment paper, using a ruler and a pencil, draw a 9 by 10-inch rectangle on the paper. Turn the paper face down on a baking sheet pan. Melt the two chocolates in a heatproof bowl, metal or glass, set over a pan of simmering water. Pour the melted chocolate over the paper and spread to form a rectangle, using the outline. Sprinkle the nuts and cranberries over the chocolate. Finish by sprinkling Sal del Mar over the chocolate, nuts and cranberries.  Set aside for 2 hours until firm. Cut the bark in 1 x 3” pieces and serve at room temperature.

Helpful hints: The water in the pan should not be boiling under the bowl. Keep the water just simmering. Chocolate does not like oil or water.  Make certain your bowl is clean and dry.  When you remove the bowl with the melted chocolate from the pan of simmering water, give the under side of the bowl a quick wipe with a dry cloth or paper towel so it doesn't drip onto your paper-lined pan when you are pouring out the chocolate.

Aquarium of the world gives us salt

The Sea of Cortez is located between the Baja Peninsula and mainland Mexico and is one of the youngest and most fertile seas on earth. The peninsula was formed approximately five million years ago when part of the Earth’s crust separated along the San Andreas Fault drifting in a northwesterly direction away from mainland Mexico. After colliding with southern California, an ocean basin was formed. This basin is known today as the Gulf of California or more commonly referred to as the Sea of Cortez. It is home to thousands of species of marine animals and is the reason why Jacques Cousteau called this sea “The Aquarium of the World.”
Much of the area around the basins is covered by whitish grey salt flats where Sal del Mar is harvested.

Dishing it out

Sal del Mar is a pure unprocessed sea salt that is ideal for all around cooking. It is a coarse, moist salt that is intrinsically beautiful, especially delicious and exotic as well.

You will see that Sal del Mar is not white-white or dry.  It has a shade of grey and feels a bit damp. But if it were white-white and dry, it wouldn't be natural since most table salts that appear really white have been stripped of their natural minerals.

AND...don’t try putting our salt in a salt shaker!  Just pinch with your fingers and drop into the food.

Just knowing about Sal del Mar makes you want to....well, maybe not eat, pray, love, but it will make you want to travel, cook and eat.

Traditional salt harvesting

I discovered how truly miraculous salt making is after visiting the site on the Sea of Cortez where Sal del Mar is harvested.  The process is still based on ancestral methods using controlled salt ponds.  The Sea of Cortez is allowed to flood flat, shallow beds and then a dam is used to trap the water.

The traditional method used allows the water to naturally evaporate as it is dried by the sun, leaving a layer of sea salt. The salt crystals are raked by hand, instead of using big bulldozers like some companies do. The result is a quality product that is handmade and traditional in a world that is increasingly losing the artisan approach.

The pristine coast of the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) where Sal del Mar is harvested is characterized by 300 estuaries and other wetlands. The rich community of plant and animal life in these wetlands comprises a unique ecosystem that are key components to the Gulf.