Himalayan Pink Salt: What It Is and How to Use It
Chef PashaShare
Himalayan pink salt is rock salt mined in Pakistan. The color comes from trace minerals, mainly iron oxide. It is around 98 per cent sodium chloride. Use fine grain for cooking and coarse crystals for finishing at the table.
Key points
- It is mined in Punjab, Pakistan, not in the Himalayas.
- The pink color is iron oxide. Shade varies by seam.
- Nutritionally it behaves like any other salt.
- Fine grain for cooking. Coarse crystals for finishing.
- Kept dry, it does not expire.
What is actually in it
Almost all of it is sodium chloride. The rest is a trace mineral fraction.
That fraction is what gives the salt its color. It is too small to change the nutrition of a dish.
Where it comes from
The name is misleading. It is not mined in the Himalayas.
It comes from the Salt Range in Punjab, Pakistan. The best known source is the Khewra mine.
The deposits were left by an ancient sea. They have been cut by hand for centuries.
Fine or coarse
The grain decides the job. Here is the short version.
| Fine grain | Coarse crystals | |
|---|---|---|
| Dissolves | Fast | Slowly |
| Best for | Doughs, marinades, salting water, everyday cooking | Finishing at the table, eggs, salads, grilled meat, fruit |
| Texture | Even, no crunch | Crunch you can hear |
| Pasha pack | 900 g pouch | 220 g jar with a built-in grinder |
Swapping it for table salt
By weight, salt is salt. Measure for measure, it is not that simple.
Coarse crystals sit loosely in a spoon. A teaspoon of coarse holds less salt than a teaspoon of fine.
Replace fine grain one for one. If you are spooning coarse crystals, add about a quarter more. Then taste.
One honest note
It is still salt. The minerals are present in tiny amounts.
They do not change what salt does in a dish, or in your diet. Choose pink salt for flavor, texture and color. Use the same care with quantity as with any salt.
Storing it in Houston
Humidity is the problem here. Salt draws water out of the air.
Keep it in an airtight jar, away from the stove. If coarse crystals clump in the grinder, a few grains of dry rice help.
The Pasha salts
Fine Grain comes in a 900 g pouch. That is the one that earns a place next to the stove.
The Coarse 220 g jar has a built-in grinder for the table. Both are unrefined, with nothing added.
Shop Pasha Himalayan Pink SaltQuestions people ask
- Is Himalayan pink salt healthier than table salt?
- Not in any way that matters at the amounts you cook with. It is about 98 per cent sodium chloride. The trace minerals are too small a fraction to make a nutritional difference.
- Does it contain iodine?
- No iodine is added. Iodised table salt is a common source of iodine in many diets. That is worth knowing if you are replacing table salt entirely.
- Is it really from the Himalayas?
- No. It is mined in the Salt Range of Punjab, Pakistan, south west of the Himalayan range.
- Does pink salt expire?
- No. Kept dry and sealed, salt keeps indefinitely. Clumping is moisture, not spoilage.
- Which grain should I buy first?
- Fine grain. It handles almost everything. Add the coarse grinder later for the table.