Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt

Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt provides spectacular flavor and creates dramatic presentation for a wide range of dishes. Black Hawaiian Salt is also known as black lava salt, black salt or black sea salt.
 

What is Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt

Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt is comprised of small, delicate crystals of top-grade Hawaiian natural sea salt that’s bonded with activated coconut shell charcoal, for a bright burst of salty flavor balanced by smoky charcoal. This salt is lower in sodium than standard table salt. It is composed of 81% sodium chloride; the remaining 19% of the salt’s chemical composition comes from a combination of 84 trace minerals and electrolytes that naturally occur in sea water and remain on the salt crystals after evaporation.

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History of Black Lava Sea Salt

Sea salt has long held a sacred space in the hearts and minds of the Hawaiian islanders. Sea salt is called pa‘akai (pronounced PAH-ah-kai);in the Hawaiian language; pa’a means “solid or hardened”, and kai means “sea”. Sea salt is literally viewed as the sea, made solid, and has been used for centuries in rituals, as a preservative, and as medicine.

There’s a romantic idea that commercial Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt is hewn from the very lava that formed the Hawaiian island chain starting 5 million years ago, collected from the limpid pools that formed among the fingers of lava that reach out to the sea. This is, surely, how the idea of lava salt came into being. There is a Hawaiian salt fortified with volcanic red clay that is still being produced, but the traditional red clay is not food-grade, so commercial ventures must use a purified version of the clay. Along those same lines, “black lava” has become more of an honorific. While this salt is black like lava flows, it is a man-made product that attains its jet-black hue from the addition of activated coconut charcoal.

The Hawaiian island of Molokai has no large industry that would impact the waters around the island with chemical runoff or other pollutants, so Molokai’s salt water is as clean as possible. Pacific Ocean water that surrounds Molokai is refined and pumped into evaporation pans, that are locked under solar panels that help speed the drying process while protecting salt from potential contaminants like dirt and birds.

Once the water has completely evaporated off of the salt, activated coconut charcoal is bonded to the salt crystals to create a dramatic salt with nuanced flavor and shimmering appearance.
 

Where is Our Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt from?

Hawai’i, USA
 

What does Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt Taste Like?

Our Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt is made of fine salt crystals which melt readily. It’s got a bracing salty burst, tempered by an overarching mellow smokiness, and a touch of sweetness at the end.
 

What is Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt used for?

Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt is a finishing salt, which means it should only be used after the cooking process is complete. Sprinkle across the tops of white fish for bold contrast, like Lemon-Parmesan Haddock with Asparagus. It makes a beautiful design across the top of cream sauces, so try it over Arepas Benedict with Hollandaise Sauce, or scattered over the noodles in Fettucine with Lemon Cream. Use it to top ceviche or tuna carpaccio, or make a statement caprese salad by striping black salt down the top of bright red tomatoes, creamy white mozzarella, and fragrant green basil.

If you plan to finish a dish with salt, remember to adjust the salt content of the dish accordingly, and add less during cooking so your finished dish isn’t too salty.

Do not use Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt during regular cooking. As the salt dissolves into food, the activated charcoal will smudge and smear, creating black streaks in your food.
 

Finishing salts should be used just before serving, once cooking is complete.
 

Substitutions

Any finishing salt will give crunch and texture to a dish. Only Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt will contribute this particular color and dark visual contrast.

Hungry for more information?

A Brief History of Salt
When and How to Use Salt During Cooking
The Salt Life
Flavor Characteristics of Spices