Salt is the world’s most widely used culinary flavour enhancer, and a nutritional element necessary for the body to function properly. But when consumed in excess, it can have deleterious effects on health. So what can we replace it with in our dishes ?
Herbs and spices to replace salt in cooking
The best way to replace salt in the kitchen and enhance the taste of all your dishes is to use herbs and spices. The good news? The possibilities are endless, whether you’re eating meat, fish or vegetables.
To replace salt in meat dishes, you can use pepper, especially exotic pepper, which enhances flavors in the blink of an eye. You can also use aromatic herbs such as thyme, bay leaf, sage, herbes de Provence, tarragon, parsley or basil. And don’t forget salt-free mustard to enhance the taste of meat.
As far as fish is concerned, you don’t normally need to add salt, since it’s already in the fish. To add flavour to your fish dishes, use aromatic herbs such as bay leaf, rosemary, etc. You can also use lemon or star anise to give them an aniseed flavour.
As for vegetables, you’re spoilt for choice! Herbs, spices, aromatics, nori seaweed, garlic, onions and shallots…
If you really can’t do without salt in your culinary preparations, you can opt for gomasio, a condiment from Japan made from sea salt and a large quantity of toasted and ground sesame seeds.
What about diet salts?
Are diet salts a good alternative to salt in the kitchen? It all depends on your state of health. In fact, these salts, low in sodium chloride and high in potassium, are not suitable for everyone.
And for good reason: diet salts can carry a risk ofhyperkalemia, i.e. an excess of potassium in the blood, which is not without consequences for heart health. To avoid the risk, it’s best to seek the advice of your GP.