Grano, the coarse kitchen salt from Ibiza. For salt crusts, grilled food and roasted vegetables.
SAL de IBIZA Grano is a very coarse, unrefined sea salt without bleaching agents or anti-caking agents. The manufacturer recommends it primarily for salt-crust dishes. The grains are too coarse for doughs, dressings or as a table salt; finer varieties are available for those purposes.
Grano is the coarse kitchen salt from SAL de IBIZA. The Spanish word means grain, and that is exactly what you get: large salt crystals that can be felt individually between the fingers. The one-kilogram pack is designed for storing in bulk. It shines where large quantities of salt are needed—quantities that are not eaten in the end.
Very coarse grains with a clear purpose
According to the manufacturer, Grano is very coarse and pure, designed for the kitchen. The crystals are noticeably larger than those in the Granito shaker and much coarser than the fine Fina. They dissolve more slowly and retain their shape in a moist salt mixture.
This very property makes Grano ideal for creating a crust. Coarse grains can be combined with a little liquid to form a moldable mixture that hardens in the oven. Fine salt would instead tend to melt into a dense paste.
Grano is not suitable for many everyday tasks, however. It distributes unevenly in bread dough and hardly dissolves in a cold vinaigrette. If you are looking for an all-purpose salt, the fine-grained Fina is a better choice.
How to cook fish in a salt crust
Cooking in a salt crust is a proven oven technique. The fish is completely enveloped in a layer of salt and cooks in its own juices. When broken open at the table, the aroma rises, and the meat is juicy.
- Gut a whole fish, such as a sea bream or sea bass, and do not scale it.
- Fill the cavity with lemon slices and herbs.
- Mix Grano with a little egg white or water to form a moist mixture.
- Spread a layer on a baking tray, place the fish on top and cover it completely.
- Bake in a hot oven until the crust is firm, then break it open at the table.
From experience: Allow for a generous amount, as a solid crust requires a lot of salt. One pack may not be enough for a large fish. The crust is not eaten; it serves only as an envelope. Potatoes, beetroot or celery can also be cooked in the oven in this way. For vegetables, a thinner layer is often sufficient than for fish, as it does not need to protect delicate skin.
Harvested in the island's salt pans
Like all salts from the brand, Grano comes from the Ses Salines Nature Reserve in the south of Ibiza. The UNESCO declared the landscape a World Heritage site in 1999. Salt has been harvested from seawater there for more than 2,700 years.
In the salt pans, the water evaporates through the sun and wind. What remains is sea salt, which is then dried by the sun alone and ground. SAL de IBIZA describes Grano as completely natural. No bleaching or anti-caking agents are added, and the ingredients list contains only sea salt.
The salt is harvested by local salt farmers. The Berlin-based SAL de IBIZA GmbH develops the product range, designs the packaging and handles the filling. In this context, professionals refer to it as packaging.
Also for grilled food and as a reserve
On the English-language website, the manufacturer mentions two additional uses. Grano is used there as a finishing salt for grilled meat and as a refill for salt mills. A few large crystals on a freshly sliced ribeye steak add distinct notes of salt. Sprinkle sparingly, as every grain delivers a strong dose of salt.
However, SAL de IBIZA offers its own salt specifically for mills. According to the manufacturer, the Molino for salt mills is the coarsest salt in the brand's range. You can find other varieties in our SAL de IBIZA overview.
Coarse salt for large dishes: one kilogram of sea salt that forms an envelope in the oven and adds accents on the grill.
