Sal del Mar Gourmet Sea Salt
Sal del Mar gourmet sea salt is a coarse, moist sea salt harvested from the pristine Sea of Cortez.
The taste has a rustic, intense flavor making it ideal for every day cooking as well as for crusting the rim of a margarita glass. It offers a healthier and crunchier experience than traditional table salt.
The salt making process is based on ancestral methods using controlled salt ponds. The Sea of Cortez floods flat, shallow beds and then a dam is used to trap the water.
This traditional method allows the water to naturally evaporate as it is dried by the sun, leaving a layer of sea salt. The salt crystals are then 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.
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.
