seasalted

Seasalted is an English adjective used to describe foods and other products that have been seasoned, preserved, or finished with sea salt, as opposed to table salt or iodized salts. The term is a compound of sea and salted and is common in culinary writing and product labeling. It implies the use of natural sea salt that comes from evaporated seawater, which can impart mineral flavors and a coarser texture depending on the salt form.

Usage and flavor: In food, seasalted indicates a salt-forward taste with possible mineral notes from trace elements found in sea salt. It is frequently applied to snacks, confections, butter, and pretzels, or listed as a flavor descriptor on packaging. The descriptor does not specify a precise salt composition but signals a preference for the perceived nuance of sea salt over refined table salt. In some markets, it is used more as a marketing term than a standardized culinary designation.

Production and characteristics: Sea salt is produced by evaporating seawater in salt pans or by solar crystallization. Differences in harvesting methods, mineral content, and crystal size can influence the final seasalted profile, with fine salts producing a subtler finish and flake salts offering a crisp bite. The term often appears on product labels to convey a natural, artisanal image rather than to indicate a specific chemical formulation.

See also: sea salt, salt curing, flavor descriptor.