Sea Salt With a Spark

“It’s all about flavor,” says Natalie Judelson of the Amagansett Sea Salt Company. The company has created a line of artisanal sea salts that showcase the finest of natural flavors of the East End. Most recently, the Amagansett Sea Salt Company has partnered with the Sparkling Pointe Winery of Southold, blending sea salt from the Atlantic with Long Island sparkling Blanc de Blanc and Blanc de Noir wines.

The result is a finishing salt that adds a spark of champagne elegance with a minimal effort from the cook. The blend of pinot noir and pinot meunier grapes, citrus, toasted almonds and white cherries of the Blanc de Noirs and Blanc de Blancs, lightly accent the earthy salts for a unique flavor that compliments even the simplest of meals. The salts are a perfect seasoning for grilled fish or chicken, and even mini pizzas grilled with the East End’s finest vegetables.

A favorite of Natalie’s is  goat cheese, drizzled with honey, then sprinkled with Rosé, Merlot or Lavender sea salt on a baguette; or, grilled scallops over an arugula salad with an olive oil drizzle and Blanc de Blanc sea salt. The Blanc de Noir is perfect for grilled steak. Grilled tomato kebabs seasoned with rose salt are also a favorite. What could be better than “simply prepared food without all the sodium,” Natalie says.

The Amagansett Sea Salt Company also offers a Merlot and Rose wine sea salt and a line of Sea Salt Blends that echo the natural flavors of Montauk, the Hamptons, Sag Harbor and Orient Point. The goal is to “marry the unique flavors of land and sea” with a taste that combines the “flavor of the Atlantic in the Hamptons and the beautiful vineyards of the East End,” says Natalie.

The Sparkling Pointe Winery prides itself on featuring a menu created from products on the North Fork, Long Island and New York food providers and growers. They aspire to create a palette of food & wine selections derived from the local environment that accents their sparkling wines. They have carried the artisan sea salt and Sea Salt Blends for years.

Tom & Cynthia Rosicki, owners of the Sparkling Pointe Winery became interested in developing the salts after they tasted the Merlot salt. The Blanc de Noir and Blanc de Blanc wine salts added new depth to the wine salt selections. “The sparkling wine salts are a big seller, particularly around the holidays”, says Melissa Schwartz, Assistant Manager of Sparkling Pointe Winery. “They are in the gift shop and have sparked a lot of interest so far.” The shop carries a full line of the salts and gift baskets that feature the salt blends.

The Amagansett Sea Salt Company has also created a rose salt in conjunction with Wölffer Estate Vineyards and Channing Daughters Winery.

If you would like try the salts and experience the best of the East End, the Sparkling Pointe Winery will be hosting Bassanova Fridays from 6-8 p.m., every Friday starting July 4th weekend through Labor Day. The evening will include Brazilian music, samba dancing and tapas prepared with vegetables, herbs, cheeses of the North Fork seasoned with the sparkling wine salts.

The wine sea salts are a perfect addition to Mediterranean and Italian cuisine, grilled meats, vegetables and fruits, North Fork staples and seafood. If you’d like inspiration, you can find recipes which use the sea salt and are perfect for the Sea Salt Blends in Daniel Hum and Will Guidara’s I Love NY: Ingredients and Recipes.

What’s next in sea salt? The Judelsons continue to explore the flavors of the North Fork and would like to develop a beer salt, partnering with one of Southhampton or Montauk breweries. They hope to combine it with breads, for a combined beer and pretzel experience in one bite; and may even go back to developing the idea of a coffee salt. I know what you must be thinking, how about a pizza salt, roasted corn or strawberry salt? Well, only if it’s grown here on the North Fork. Just this week, the Amagansett Sea Salt Company was featured among the country’s finest sea salts at the Specialty Food Association’s Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City, putting Long Island on the national map of high-quality artisanal seasonings.

On the East End, Amagansett Sea Salts are available at the Sag Harbor Farmer’s Market, Montauk Farmer’s Market, Springs’ Farmers Market and online.

Salts available in the gift shops at Wölffer Estate Vineyards, Sparkling Pointe Winery, Channing Daughters Winery and East Hampton Gardens. Call to inquire about gift baskets, as they may not be online.