Jacobsen Salt Co. Pure Flake Sea Salt (Netarts Bay, Oregon)

Aromatic profile

Culinary use

• When to add : finishing
• Dosage : a small pinch scattered from a few inches up, right before serving
• Ideal pairings : seared steak and chops, scrambled eggs, raw oysters and crudo, ripe tomatoes, dark chocolate and caramel, fresh bread with butter
• Avoid with : long cooking (the flake dissolves and the texture is lost), brines and boiling water (use kosher instead), dishes that are already well seasoned

The grain in detail

Jacobsen Salt Co. was founded by Ben Jacobsen in 2011 and is the first company to harvest sea salt commercially in the Pacific Northwest since the Lewis and Clark expedition. Seawater is pulled from Netarts Bay on the Oregon coast, a cold, clean estuary fed by the Pacific, then filtered and slowly boiled until pyramid flakes form, which are hand-raked and dried. The flakes are thinner and broader than Maldon, so the crunch is more delicate and melts a touch faster, and the brine reads bright and slightly sweet rather than sharp. This is a finishing salt, full stop: scatter it raw over a seared steak after the rest, over soft scrambled eggs, raw oysters, ripe summer tomatoes, dark chocolate or caramel, and good bread with butter. Cooking with it wastes both the texture and the price. It is the priciest salt in this set per ounce, which is the honest catch, but it is the American answer to Maldon and the one to reach for when you want a domestic, traceable grain. No additives. Made in the USA, non-GMO, kosher.

History & origin

Ben Jacobsen started chasing a homegrown flake salt around 2008 and shipped the first Oregon-harvested sea salt in 2011, reviving a craft dormant in the Pacific Northwest since the Lewis and Clark expedition boiled seawater at Seaside in 1806. The company built its own harvest facility on Netarts Bay and now supplies many of the country's top restaurants. It remains a small-batch, hand-harvested operation rather than an industrial works.

Indicative price

Reference format : 4 oz box — from $12.00 to $17.00 (median : $15.00).

Storage

Airtight container, dry. Keeps indefinitely.

Where to buy?

Alternatives if unavailable

• Maldon Sea Salt
• Fleur de Sel de Guérande
• Cornish Sea Salt

Tags

• USA
• Oregon
• Netarts Bay
• flaky salt
• finishing salt
• 2011

Frequently asked questions

How do you store Jacobsen Pure Flake Salt?

Airtight container, dry. Keeps indefinitely.

What dosage for Jacobsen Pure Flake Salt?

a small pinch scattered from a few inches up, right before serving

When should you add Jacobsen Pure Flake Salt in cooking?

It's best used finishing.

What should you avoid pairing Jacobsen Pure Flake Salt with?

Avoid with: long cooking (the flake dissolves and the texture is lost), brines and boiling water (use kosher instead), dishes that are already well seasoned.