Citrus Basil Sample

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$2.50

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Salt Summary

The secret to tangy citrus flavor without a cleaning-product aroma lies in our use of lemon myrtle, a rainforest spice from Australia. We combine this with organic basil, orange & lemon peel, and fluffy Murray River Salt. This blend shines on juicy watermelon (seriously), poached lobster or crab, in minestrone soup, or on grilled salmon.

Click on the tabs above for more application and dish ideas, or to read the complete description of this premium gourmet salt.

Recommended Uses

In the cavities of seeded tomatoes with olive oil (try cold or baked until soft)
Sprinkled on smooth skin melon, like honeydew or with juicy watermelon
On the freshly sautéed soft-shell crabs
In a brining mixture for chicken or fish steaks (1/2 cup of Citrus Basil, 1/4 cup of white sugar and 6 cups of water)
Sprinkled on a vinegar-based coleslaw
Atop a potato and gruyere cheese gratin
Added to creamy artichoke dip
Mixed with olive oil and drizzled over steamy pasta
Sprinkled on deveined shrimp prior to grilling
On steamed cauliflower or broccoli
As a finishing touch to steamed white asparagus
In gingerbread or ginger cookies
On fried smelt or perch
Add to sliced brussel sprouts and olive oil prior to roasting
On sliced and well matured McIntosh or Golden Delicious apples
Atop poached eggs (or really on any egg dish)
Sprinkled on seafood risotto as a finishing touch of flavor
Use on the rim of a margarita glass or shot of tequila

Salt Story

The difficulty with any type of citrus salt, is that as a culture, we have been deviously trained to associate the tangy aroma of sun-yellow lemons with the condition of being sparkly clean. With much fascination, we salute the marketing and sanitation-product gurus for deeply engraining this association into our collective senses! Certainly there must have been a time in the not so distant past when people would catch a whiff of lemon and only think “hey, that is juicy lemon” rather than “wow, that is dazzling clean.”

Regardless, when crafting our Citrus Basil salt blend, our Salt Chef was incredibly mindful to avoid any connection with the astringent aroma of household cleaning products. To this end, we used an ingredient traditionally employed by the premium loose-tea trade to add a delightful citrus flavor – lemon myrtle. This botanical from the rainforests of Australia assists our sense of scent in discerning the rich tang of citrus in edible foods versus the sparkling clean of a recently scrubbed sink. It is ironic that a plant, which is not even considered to be part of the citrus family, could solve a cultural handicap of flavor…however, when you smell and taste our delicious Citrus Basil salt, such quirks of life will quickly exit your mind.

To further amplify the flavor of citrus (knowing that lemon myrtle saved our blend from any cleaning product confusion), we added organic orange and lemon peel. Originally, we also added organic basil to this blend to supplement the zing of citrus. However, we discovered that the basil added its own unique intensity and floral notes reminiscent of spicy clove and thyme. The rich depth of flavor found in the basil harmonized in perfect pitch with the tang of citrus in this blend. Of course, the revelation caused by our basil epiphany, forced us to reprint our labels for this salt from “Citrus Blend” to “Citrus Basil” since it was only fair to give proper credit to the flavorful contribution made by organic basil.

As a base for this exquisite meritage of citrus and basil, we picked an equally beautiful pair of salts with crisp fleur de sel and Murray River salt. The delicate salinity of these unrefined salts matches note-for-note with the flavors of citrus and basil to create an unbelievably versatile blend. Our Citrus Basil is particularly well suited for almost any seafood application, including on grilled salmon or mixed into crab cakes. Citrus Basil can also be used as a culinary-tool to tease out delicate flavors, such as the gentle and oft forgotten sour-notes found in late summer apples or the rich sweetness of a ripe avocado. Use to rim a margarita glass, or coat a slice of lime for a flavorful follow-up to a shot of premium resposada tequila.