This time of year I'm rarely out of the kitchen – today it's because I'm busy making homemade flavored salts. This Tuscan-herb one is particularly delicious. If you'd like some inspiration, community, and resources to keep you invested in your kitchen, become a member of my Cooking Community right here.
All the hours laboring from the chilliest of spring days to the hottest of the summer ones has paid off in the form of the harvest. Sweet Lord, the harvest. More often than not, I wander back to the kitchen with baskets full of tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, cabbages, onions, or herbs with tears of gratitude in my eyes (I'm getting far more hormonal as I age, turns out, and tears come easier than they used to).
The point is simply that sometimes a recipe is more than a recipe and these homemade flavored salts are actually a way to not only preserve the summer bounty of herbs, but also jar a bit of the gratitude that grows alongside them in the garden.
I'll need to remember that bit of a gratitude in February, no doubt.
The basis of homemade flavored salts is quite simple: preserving the herbs in a form that is easily used throughout the year. I find the salts are much easier to utilize and much more inspiring than the dried herbs alone and find myself grabbing for the salt-filled glass jars that line my pantry cupboards quite often. Plus, the homemade flavored salts turn green which is simply too charming to resist. (PS: You can checkout other recipes for preserving the harvest right here.)
Homemade Flavored Salts / Tuscan Herb
You will need:
- 2 cups good-quality salt
- 1 cup sage leaves
- 1/2 cup rosemary leaves
- 1/2 cup thyme leaves
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 red chili or 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
- Add all of the ingredients into a food processor.
- Blend until completely combined, take the lid off and scraping the salt and herbs around as needed.
- Spread the salt mixture on a tray and let it dry at room temperature for three days (or utilize a food dehydrator to speed up the process.)
- Store in a glass jar.
If you'd like, you can easily make these homemade flavored salts with a 2:1 herb to salt ratio. I have jars of tarragon salt, garlic salt, thyme salt, chive salt, and bay salt lined up alongside this tuscan herb salt. Yes, please.
Happy herb harvest!
And for all my video peeps:
Homemade Flavored Salts / Tuscan Herb
Ingredients
- 2 cups sea salt
- 1 cup sage leaves
- 1/2 cup rosemary leaves
- 1/2 cup thyme leaves
- 2 tbsp lemon zest
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients together in a food processor.
- Blend until completely combined, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Spread the salt mixture on a tray and let it dry at room temperature for 3 days (or utilize a food processor for faster drying).
- Store in a glass jar.
Can’t wait to make so many different salts! Thanks for the inspiration and recipe Shaye!
I didn’t even have to make this recipe. I could just smell it in my imagination
Can’t wait to try this from my garden herbs. Wow
This is genius, and so much fun!
For the 2:1 ratio, would that be by weight? I joined a CSA this year and have just 5 garlic scapes but I’d love to try the salt. Or would I chop up the scapes and measure by volume?
I’m going to give chive salt a try as well. I have quite a lot of chives in my garden.
Thank you so much. 🙂
I love your recipes thanks for sharing!
Thanks for this great recipe. FYI small typo at the end, I think you meant to say ‘you can use a *dehydrator* to speed up the process’.
How much of this do you use in recipes generally without getting too much salty taste? I love to go heavy on the herbs!
Wow! Such a great idea. I’ve thought about just plain old drying out herbs before, but this?? Way better idea! And it looks prettier than just plain herbs in a jar all ground up. So excited to try this!
Also I love your new cooking videos and the “theme song.” It’s has an ever so slight resemblance to the theme song from Monsters Inc 😀 but mixed with a little Ratatouille vibe.
I loved your video. Thank you so much for your time and sharing. Definitely doing this.
I make basil salt every year and love it. I will be adding this one to my pantry as well! Thanks Shaye.
Any chance you could share your recipe and method
I love this idea and just in time for all the herbs I have.
Also, love your new hair color. You look fabulous.
Could you share the recipie for the Tarragon salt and the garlic salt?
How long can you keep the herb salt? Also what type of salt does one use? Can you use regular table salt?
I immediately went out and gathered summer savory to make a batch of summer savory salt. My neighbour friend makes garlic scape salt and I wanted to this year but never got to it so I will try and preserve my herbs like this at least. I am so with you in not being inspired by those (pretty) bunches of dried herbs for cooking. Dried herbs are drab after that summer punch of bright tasting fresh herbs.
Thanks for the inspiration! And your hair looks so beautiful. 🙂
Hi Shaye, could you please transfer this Recipe in grams as I am unable to measure in cups here in Europe. Thanks 🙏🏻
Brought in a lot of fresh herbs this morning just to make this. My kitchen smells like heaven and the herby salt looks GORGEOUS. I sampled some and it tastes crazy good. Thank you for this!
DO U DRY YOUR HERBS FIRST? or use fresh herbs
Was just wondering what to do with all my herbs this morning. So glad to see this.
Can Celtic salt or Redmond real salt be used?
Redmond real salt is all I use, and it’s fantastic for this.
I live in Italy and this morning on my walk I was looking for a nice salvia plant. Mine is awful right now. A neighbor gave me so many big branches. I just finish the recipe and it is drying under the sun. Thank you for your kindness. I love watching and learning from you. Ciao
Love these salt recipes! Will be doing this as soon as my bulk salt arrives!!!