Coarse iodised sea salt (gros sel iodé) from La Baleine, véritable sel de mer, for seasoning pasta water, salt crusts, roasts and refilling salt grinders.
Baleine Rock Salt comes in a navy and red pack with the white whale emblem of La Baleine inside a rope circle reading véritable sel de mer, genuine sea salt. The red lower panel shows potatoes with a pinch of salt and a sprig of rosemary, and reads gros sel iodé, coarse iodised salt. The brand logo carries the line depuis 1934. As general background, sea salt is produced by the evaporation of seawater and is used as a seasoning in foods, cooking and for preserving food; iodised salt is salt mixed with a small amount of iodine salts. Commonly, cooks use coarse salt to season pasta and vegetable water, to make salt crusts for whole fish and chicken, to scatter over roast potatoes, and to fill salt grinders at the table. The photos show a cook scattering coarse salt over a whole roast chicken in a pan, and a wooden scoop of crystals on slate beside rosemary. Commonly, keep the pack closed and dry.
