Celtic Salt - Coarse, Hand Harvested 125g

A 125 g pack of coarse, grey Celtic salt, hand harvested on the Atlantic coast of France. It is unrefined, unbleached and unprocessed, so it keeps its natural grey colour and moisture. This is a kitchen salt, not a supplement: the coarse grains suit a grinder, a pinch bowl or finishing a dish, and the brand describes it as organic, vegan and non-GMO.

Celtic sea salt is milder and less sharp on the tongue than refined table salt because the crystals are larger and dissolve more slowly. It is the one food item on our minerals shelf.

What it is

Celtic sea salt is made by letting Atlantic seawater evaporate in clay-lined pans, then raking the crystals by hand with a wooden tool. The clay gives the grey colour and the lack of kiln drying leaves the crystals damp, so it does not pour from a shaker and will clog a cheap grinder. Most people keep it in a small bowl and pinch it, or crush it in a pestle and mortar for finer seasoning.

The method is the traditional one from the salt marshes of Brittany, where salt has been raked this way for centuries. Nothing is added and nothing is removed: no anti-caking agent, no bleaching, no iodine. The brand's description lists 82 minerals; we have not verified that count and repeat it as the brand's statement.

At 125 g this is a small pack, about enough for a few months of finishing salt in one kitchen. Store it in a lidded jar; it will not spoil but it does pick up moisture from the air.

This is a Herba Store UK own-label product.

How to use it

Use it as you would any finishing salt: a pinch over a finished dish, crushed over roasted vegetables, or dissolved in water for a brine. Because it is damp, grind it only in a grinder with a ceramic mechanism, or dry a small amount in a low oven first if you want it to flow. For cooking water and baking, where the salt dissolves anyway, it works exactly like any other sea salt.

• 125 g resealable pack
• £5.99 works out at about 4.8p a gram, or roughly 24p per 5 g teaspoon
• Coarse grain: pinch, crush or grind

Keep it in a lidded jar or the resealed pack. It does not go off. If it clumps, that is moisture, and a knock on the worktop frees it.

What's inside

• Sea salt, coarse grain, 125 g
• Unrefined, unbleached and unprocessed
• Trace minerals naturally present, as stated by the brand
• No anti-caking agents or additives listed
• Organic, vegan and non-GMO, as stated by the brand

Sea salt is sodium chloride with whatever else the seawater carried, left in because nothing has been washed or refined out. The grey colour comes from the clay of the salt pans and the trace minerals; the dampness is residual seawater. Hand harvesting means the top layer of crystals is skimmed before it sinks and compacts.

Who it's for

Cooks who want a mineral-rich finishing salt with a mild flavour, and anyone replacing refined table salt with something less processed. It suits a pinch bowl by the hob, a grinder with a ceramic mechanism, and a kitchen where salt is tasted rather than shaken. It also suits people who make their own brines, ferments or salt scrubs.

If you want a fine, free-flowing salt for a shaker, this is not it; the dampness is the point. If you are shopping the minerals shelf for a supplement rather than a food, the shilajit resin is the other item there.

Pairs well with

The raw Himalayan shilajit resin is the other product on our minerals shelf. In the kitchen, the lion's mane powder is the other ingredient we stock that goes into eggs, soups and sauces. For brewing rather than seasoning, the whole dried soursop leaves are a caffeine free herbal tea. Browse the shilajit, salts and minerals shelf, the new supplements collection it also sits in, and our best sellers.

Frequently asked questions

What is Celtic salt?

Unrefined grey sea salt from the Atlantic coast of France, hand raked from clay-lined evaporation pans. It is sold damp and coarse, with nothing added or removed.

Why is it grey and damp?

Because it is not dried and bleached like table salt. The clay of the salt pans gives the grey tint and the residual seawater keeps it moist.

Where is it harvested?

On the Atlantic coast of France, by hand, according to the brand.

How much is in the pack?

125 g, in a resealable pack.

If you are reading salt labels alongside supplement labels, our guide to reading a supplement label explains what the brand statements on a pack do and do not tell you. Herbastore ships this product from the UK, with free UK shipping on orders over £40. Orders are packed by Herbastore UK, so if you are buying from more than one of our brands everything arrives together.