Salt

[MLA]

We collect our own from the rock pools next to the lighthouse at El Cotillo. Collect the crusty top using a spoon, then layout on kitchen roll to dry. Took a bag back in our hand luggage for our daughter who is a chef, no issues.

[hairybiker]

I asked and had a reply that the problem is that the packaging machine is broken.

It should be fixed by the end of July.

[erik_tonny]

No sea foam salt (flor de sal) on Fuerteventura.
Neighter on Lanzarote.
They do make it on la Palma.

Price Fuerte seasalt: 20 kg for €4,-

You can buy Flor de sal from las salinas in Lanzarote. On the road to El Golfo

Salt from las Salinas Fuerteventura is always available from the lighthouse museum in El Cotillo

They may sell Flor de sal on the road to el Golfo.
But they do not harvest it in Lanzarote.....
(they sell Rolex watches at the market in Corralejo)

[hairybiker]

From Wikipedia

"Fleur de sel ("flower of salt" in French or flor de sal (in Portuguese, Spanish and Catalan) is a hand-harvested sea salt collected by workers who scrape only the top layer of salt before it sinks to the bottom of large salt pans."

Not knowing the process they use at the Museo de la Sal, I am unable to say whether it is Flor de Sal or not. Nor can I comment of whether salt from other areas of the Canaries is Flor de Sal or not.

What I do know is that the salt from the salt museum is excellent and, to my mind, superior to the Camargue Fleur de Sel that I was using till I used it all.  Also at 70 cents a kilo far better value than Fleur de Sel at £20+/kilo so I can afford to throw it around a bit more!!

I just wish that the availability of Museum salt matched my holiday dates

And that it wasn't so bad for me!!!

[hairybiker]

they sell Rolex watches at the market in Corralejo)

Are you trying to tell me that they aren't real Rolexes?

[SheilaW]

I asked and had a reply that the problem is that the packaging machine is broken.

It should be fixed by the end of July.

6-8 weeks to repair a vital machine for one of the few industries here? Wow! That's fast!

Meanwhile, they have sandwich bags in Mercadona - perhaps we should go to the museum with our own bags.

[Johnny]

Is the taste really that different? Is it worth trying out?

[hairybiker]

Is the taste really that different? Is it worth trying out?

At 35cents for 500g bag, what's to lose??  You might be pleasantly surprised

[erik_tonny]

 Flor de sal from las salinas in Lanzarote

All I know is what the man who actually harvests the salt at the museo told me.

[Charlie dont surf]

Flor de sal from las salinas in Lanzarote

All I know is what the man who actually harvests the salt at the museo told me.

Que? You're not making any sense!

[Johnny]

Will def give it a go when were over 

[erik_tonny]

This week I smoked my first batch of salt.
I used sal de espuma from fuerteventura and pican wood chips.
I smoked the salt, which was a little damp, op a splatter screen during about 10 hours.
Everybody really likes the taste of my sal ahumada and a lot have asked for some.
It's great on a salad or a steak or even an egg (bacon taste without the bacon).

[hairybiker]

I would appreciate it if anyone, returning to the UK, would pop into the Fuerteventura craft shop at the airport and let me know if they are stocking salt again now.  I'm out in November and making plans for my shopping list.

The  shop had moved to the new area at the north end of departures (probably a bit lonely there!!) but the airport map info shows it back in the old place at the south end of departures.

Thanks

[bedouin]

I would appreciate it if anyone, returning to the UK, would pop into the Fuerteventura craft shop at the airport and let me know if they are stocking salt again now.  I'm out in November and making plans for my shopping list.

The  shop had moved to the new area at the north end of departures (probably a bit lonely there!!) but the airport map info shows it back in the old place at the south end of departures.

Thanks

If only you'd posted this 24 hours ago, I might have been able to help!  However, that shop has odd opening times, it's usually been shut when I've been there, and indeed it was at 1830 last night.

[hairybiker]

Bump - anyone leaving this Saturday and returning in the next 3 weeks, can you please check the craft shop for me.

Thank you

Dave G

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

I'm confused - what is the 'returning in the next 3 weeks' got to do with looking in the shop in Departures? (I'm going back to UK for a week on 16th, will try to remember to have a look.)

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Ah sorry - just realised - I've read this from the perspective of someone living out here and you've written it for a visitor from the UK. 

[hairybiker]

Spot on Tamara.  I was assuming that anyone heading from the UK to the island in the next week or so would be returning before I head to Fuerteventura on 5th Novemebr.

I also assumed that anyone visiting the island probably wouldn't be checking the forum while they were away, so would only be able to report back when the arrived back in the UK

I would be very grateful if you could have a look for me.  Then, only if they run out or the packing machine breaks down again or the weather isn't right for making salt, will I need to make other arrangements to get salt.

Dave

[TamaraEnLaPlaya]

Hi Dave
I had a good look but failed to spot any salt in Departures on Thursday 16th - sorry! The queues were too long for me to wait and ask the cashiers.
Good luck with finding another source - although of course the airport might have restocked minutes after I passed through 

[hairybiker]

Thanks, Tamara.

I shall email the Museo and, failing good news from them, I suppose I could visit the craft market in Campanario centre on two Sundays, first first to ask them if they can get it in 500g bags and the second to collect it

[hairybiker]

After an email exchange with the Museo de Sal (emuseos@gmail.com) and the help of Bing translator, I am expecting to pick up 2 x 1kg bags of salt at the craft shop in the departures area at Fuerteventura airport.  That should last me a couple of years

A least, I hope it's salt.  2kg of another white powder wouild get me quite a long holiday at a "not destination"!!!  I'll blame Bing if it goes wrong

[erik_tonny]

How much are they charging you for a kilo?

[hairybiker]

Didn't ask and not especially bothered.

It was 35 cents for a 500g bag at the airport craft shop last year. 

[erik_tonny]

That is a very very decent price.
Do you know that the sea salt of Fuerteventura is made from sea foam (espuma)?

[Can the Man]

I was up in El Cotilo a few weeks back, lots of rock salt dried out on th the rocks there for free.

[hairybiker]

Erik - I have not been to the salt museum at El Carmen, but I understand that the salt is produced by the evaporation process. 

This is what you may be thinking of.

Wikipedia - "Fleur de sel ("flower of salt" in French; French pronunciation: ​[flÅ"ʁ dÉ™ sÉ›l]), flôr de sal (in Portuguese), or flor de sal (in Spanish and Catalan) is a hand-harvested sea salt collected by workers who scrape only the top layer of salt before it sinks to the bottom of large salt pans."

Fleur de sel is far more expensive at around £20 a kilo.  I had some, used it all, and didn't think it was 20 times as good as the Fuerteventura salt.

Can - rock salt is mined salt (from ancient salt deposits, usually underground) not salt from the rocks.

[erik_tonny]

Indeed, the salt is produced by the evaporation process.
But on Fuerteventura the pans are not just filled with plain sea water but with the sea spray or foam or froth.
According to the salt master in Calete, this will give a better quality.

Try smoking the salt....put some on a fillet, let rest a few hours .......

[PHo]

When you look at the piles of salt in the enclosures at Las Salinas, there are little bits of black rock and other stuff in them. Can anyone tell me how they purify the salt before they bag it?

[hairybiker]

Didn't ask and not especially bothered.

It was 35 cents for a 500g bag at the airport craft shop last year.

The Kilo bags were 70 cents each.  What a bargain.  No other salt in the shop though.

And I see that the bags say "Sal marina de espuma"  so it looks like it is made from sea foam

[hairybiker]

Cloudy day and a little sunburnt from yesterday, I decided on an expedition to the Museo del Sal. Bus 6 from Los Hoteles to PdR (â,¬2.70). 15 min wait then bus 3 from PdR to Las Salinas (â,¬1.65). Stop and the end of route is right outside. â,¬5 entry fee and â,¬0.70 for a kilo bag.

You could skip the museum and go straight into shop, buy salt and then get back on the same bus without doing the tour, but it is interesting.

So I'm stocked up for a while!