You’ve probably seen it before: those delicate, paper-thin flakes of salt sprinkled over a perfectly cooked steak, fresh salad or a warm loaf of bread.
But what exactly is flaky sea salt, and how is it different from the salt sitting in your pantry?
Flaky salt is a type of salt known for its thin, lightweight crystals.
Unlike fine table salt, which forms small, dense grains, flaky salt forms into delicate flakes. This gives it a distinctive texture and makes it particularly popular as a finishing salt.
The flakes are light enough to gently crush between your fingers, or you can leave them whole to add a little crunch to your dish.
It’s this combination of texture, appearance and flavour that makes flaky salt a favourite in kitchens around the world.
Not necessarily.
“Sea salt” generally refers to salt produced from seawater, while flaky salt describes the shape and texture of the salt crystals.
This means you can have flaky salts produced from different sources, including seawater and underground aquaifers.
And that’s where Murray River Salt is a little different.
Murray River Salt is an Australian-made flaky salt, but it doesn’t come from the ocean.
Our salt begins with mineralised brines sourced from ancient underground saline aquifers of the Murray-Darling Basin.
Through our unique production process, these brines are transformed into the delicate pyramid-shaped flakes that Murray River Salt is known for.
The result is a light, crisp flake with a distinctive texture that makes it ideal for finishing food.
It really comes down to the flake.
Fine salt dissolves quickly and is ideal when you want salt to distribute evenly throughout a dish. Flaky salt behaves differently. Its larger, delicate crystals can sit on the surface of your food, giving you little bursts of flavour and texture as you eat.
That’s why you’ll often see flaky salt used as the final touch rather than simply as an everyday cooking salt.
A pinch over a steak, roast vegetables, eggs or even chocolate can add that extra bit of texture that you don’t get from fine salt.
Murray River Salt brings something uniquely Australian to the world of flaky salt.
Our signature flakes are naturally pink and form into distinctive pyramid shapes, creating a salt that looks as good as it tastes.
But ask chefs and cooks who use Murray River Salt, and there’s another quality they often notice – the flavour isn’t overwhelmingly salty.
Compared with some sea salts, which can deliver a sharp, intense hit of saltiness, Murray River Salt has a reputation for a more delicate, mellow flavour. It allows the natural flavours of the food to shine rather than overpowering them.
That makes it particularly well suited to finishing dishes, where you’re looking for a little seasoning and texture without masking everything else on the plate.
So, while “flaky sea salt” is often used as a broad term for delicate finishing salts, Murray River Salt offers something a little different; Australian flaky salt made from ancient mineralised brines of the Murray-Darling Basin.
Next time you reach for a finishing salt, look beyond the grain. The shape of the salt can make all the difference.
