Gourmet/unusual salts

My folks just got back from holiday and brought me a few packets of some really unusual salts - I have a shrimp salt which is a kind of fish seasoning, very tasty. I also have a couple of rock salts - Hawaiian black lava salt and a smoked salt. The lava salt is very unique and the smoked salt is just that, a gorgeous smokey flavour. Has anyone else tried these and do you have any dish ideas? I'd like to keep it simple to really let the flavours shine through on their own. The obvious dish is steak, but I'm one for going for something a little bit more unusual. Ideas please!

One thing that I think is a neat presentation is to use it for butter (I've done it with kosher and Sel gris, but these would work too). Get a stick of unsalted butter, maybe mold it into a more pleasing shape. Top with your fancy salt. Adds more flavor depth, but also more texture when served on bread.

I have a bunch of different salts. I use them primarily as finishing salts. In other words they go on the food right before I eat it or serve it. Some of the salts are pretty expensive to use as regular salt for cooking.

Here is what I have off the top of my head:

Himalayan Pink Salt
Hawaiian Black Salt
Several different varieties of Fleur de Sel
Several different varieties of smoked salt, Mesquit, Hickory, Oak and a couple others.
Sel Gris
Sea salt with dried habanero
Sea salt with green tea
Large flake high mineral content salt. It's great for finishing a dish, the large flakes are pretty neat looking.

The habanero salt is great on fried eggs.
Fleur de Sel is great on steaks or burgers.

Check out this Thread and posted Replies entitled "Truffle salt, makes everything great!", started by member MissJames. All I can say is that Truffle & Salt is a condiment any aspiring Cook and/or Chef should not be without.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/203200-Truffle-salt-makes-everything-great!?highlight=

Christopher "Success is a lot of small things done correctly". Chef Fernand Point

Interesting stuff.
The joke in our house is "Salt goes bad around here" (because we rarely use it. If we had any it would be "expired"... get it?..salt doesn't go bad??... Ok, not funny...)
It's never on our table. We just got some shakers for the table because someone gave them to us.

But these salts sound interesting.
I'll definately look next time i'm at the grocery store.

odd sort of salt I thought I would add in..Wasabi Salt

I've been using kala namak salt for a while now as an ingredient in cooking, but I think sullybob has the right idea using these particular ones as finishing salts

The Count of Merkur Cristo said:

Check out this Thread and posted Replies entitled "Truffle salt, makes everything great!", started by member MissJames. All I can say is that Truffle & Salt is a condiment any aspiring Cook and/or Chef should not be without.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/203200-Truffle-salt-makes-everything-great!?highlight=

Christopher

"Success is a lot of small things done correctly". Chef Fernand Point

Click to expand...

I think I'll have to add some Truffle salt to my small collection of salts.

Sullybob said:

I think I'll have to add some Truffle salt to my small collection of salts.

Click to expand...

Shawn:
And you'll won't be disappointed.

Christopher "Success is a lot of small things done correctly". Chef Fernand Point

Can't go wrong with this stuff.

I have always wanted to try this:

Danish Viking Smoked Sea Salt
http://www.salttraders.com/products/Danish-Viking-Smoked-Sea-Salt.html

Thanks,
Mike