Latest Breaking News On - Crunchy salt - Page 1 : vimarsana.com
really above and beyond on-- - a global level? - yes, on a global level. - so you traveled the world just to return home and find you guys have the best salt in the world. - yes. - [laughs] - oh, yes. i definitely think so. - 50 miles west of mérida is celestún, an instagrammer's paradise. pink lakes, flamingos, blue skies, and blinding white salt flats. were you born in yucatán? - yes. i was born and raised in mérida. well, my mother came to live here when she was from the u.s., when she was 18 years old. she was born in pennsylvania. - so she's american. - yeah. - we're both mexican-american. - yes! - do you ever find it difficult to navigate that identity, or you love it? - growing up in mérida, for me, i used to be very shy about it. - i was a fish out of water. you know, people always say, like, "oh, you're half mexican, half american?" i'm like, "no. i'm 100% mexican..." - yes, i know. - "and 100% american
- oh, wow. - sí. - the crystals here, they're much bigger than, like, a regular salt... - yeah, yeah. - that you would have. - they're huge. - but it takes much longer to dissolve when you eat it. this salt will not leave us with, like, a real metallic flavor. - and this is also linked to when the flamingos come and visit celestún. it's said that the flamingos get this pink color because they eat the artemia. - the harvesting of the flor de sal is so delicate, it has to be done by hand. oh, god. i'm gonna mess it up. they say if you don't scoop it right, then it just becomes normal salt! no wonder it's the most expensive salt in the world. - brilliant! - i did it. now, this is a perfect spot for lunch.
so that when you add the flor de sal, you don't overseason. - yeah, mm-hmm. - ok? - mmm. [gasps] wow. mmm, that fish is amazing! the contrast of the crunchy salt and the soft, sweet fish is just sublime. i feel like the yucatán has the most appreciation for the land and the rain and the natural elements and the fruit that comes from the tree. like, there's such a thank you to... - yes. - la tierra. - we have delicious ingredients. and with delicious ingredients, we can make delicious recipes.
just a little bit of butter, guys. - yeah. - just a little bit of butter. - salt. - and that's it. - and that's it. - i'm just gonna wait here while he roasts those beets. the pig from the pib is about to have a sophisticated makeover. - watch out. aah! - we're gonna make, like, a very crispy skin, no? - that's a good idea. - yeah. - i concur. [crunches] - do you hear that? - yes. - that's a crispy skin. - yes! - and i'm gonna put it in here. - oh, that's beautiful! - so that's the way we plate it. - look at that presentation. - yeah. - the puréed vegetables and habanero chili salsa turns this dish into a rainbow of color. ♪ ♪
at the same time, all the time." - that's what i try to do with my cooking, just to be unapologetic and just like the confidence that you give out to the world. - oh, are these the salt lakes? - yes, this is where it starts. - the salt flats of celestún produce many forms of salt, but flor de sal is the purest. it's the magical result of climate and geography. salty seawater combines with sweet rain, slowly evaporating in the tropical heat. and it leaves behind this pinkish-colored crystal. - hola, manuel. - hola. buenos días. - presentó eva. - hola. eva. mucho gusto. - mucho gusto. [speaking spanish] - [speaking spanish]
to just layer up all these herbs. - this is a great idea, an herb brush. [sniffs] oh, that smells so good. a brush made of parsley, rosemary, and thyme is also a neat way to apply the garlic purée. oh, that's gorgeous. - we're gonna do some mangoes, also grilled. - and salt! this is my idea of food heaven. truly, i'd have this as my last meal on earth. - i'm gonna bring some of the-- - bring the salt! - flor. - bring the salt. - [laughs] - fish on a beach. now, i feel like i'm in mexico. i put my onions first. now, for the star ingredient. - this is the flor de sal, so-- - this is the flor de-- - yeah. - this is what we harvested. - you're just gonna put a little, tiny bit. so what's the secret in all of this? it's to season to perfection all the ingredients
[upbeat music] it's my turn to get starstruck and meet a chef i've admired for years: regina escalante. [gasps] - hola. mucho gusto. - it's so nice to meet you. i'm such a fan! - oh, thank you for coming to merci! please, have a seat. - yes, of course. regina trained as a chef in france before returning home to mérida to open her wildly popular restaurant, merci. the thing i love about her is she obsesses about every detail but particularly the mother of all ingredients: salt. - and you know what's funny? that when i was in france, i learned about all these different types of salt. and for my surprise, when i came to mérida and i learned that the quality of the product that we have here was just, like,
wow! - so this is a sea bass. - you don't understand how excited i am to finally eat fish on a beach in the yucatán. do you know what? i'm surprised that there isn't more seafood in the yucatán cuisine. - i know. back in the day, people didn't have the ability to refrigerate food at their homes. - mm-hmm. - my grandmother would tell me that when she grew up, people thought that they were gonna get sick of eating fish that was caught, like, in the morning. and with the heat, the food would spoil really fast. - the fish is stuffed with garlic, rosemary, thyme, that yucatán favorite, sour orange, and of course, a healthy dose of salt. when you have ingredients this fresh, simplicity is key. you have specialized in, like, opening up the gastronomy here outside of the traditional yucatán dishes. - i feel that here in yucatán, there are so many great ingredients that i want to just let the ingredients speak for itself. we're gonna put some oil on it to start out. we're gonna prepare the brush. and this brush is gonna be our secret weapon
- oh, wow. - sí. - the crystals here, they're much bigger than, like, a regular salt... - yeah, yeah. - that you would have. - they're huge. - but it takes much longer to dissolve when you eat it. this salt will not leave us with, like, a real metallic flavor. - and this is also linked to when the flamingos come and visit celestún. it's said that the flamingos get this pink color because they eat the artemia. - the harvesting of the flor de sal is so delicate, it has to be done by hand. oh, god. i'm gonna mess it up. they say if you don't scoop it right, then it just becomes normal salt! no wonder it's the most expensive salt in the world. - brilliant! - i did it.
that we have here was just, like, really above and beyond on-- - a global level? - yes, on a global level. - so you traveled the world just to return home and find you guys have the best salt in the world. - yes. - [laughs] - oh, yes. i definitely think so. - 50 miles west of mérida is celestún, an instagrammer's paradise. pink lakes, flamingos, blue skies, and blinding white salt flats. were you born in yucatán? - yes. i was born and raised in mérida. well, my mother came to live here when she was from the u.s., when she was 18 years old. she was born in pennsylvania. - so she's american. - yeah. - we're both mexican-american. - yes! - do you ever find it difficult to navigate that identity, or you love it? - growing up in mérida, for me, i used to be very shy about it. - i was a fish out of water. you know, people always say, like, "oh, you're half mexican, half american?"