France is fortunate to be surrounded by several sea and ocean which allows it to produce large volumes of different varieties of salt.

One of the most attractive in terms of flavour is fleur de sel. Fleur de sel that can be found both on the Mediterranean Sea with the fleur de sel from Camargue and on the Atlantic coast with, among others, the fleur de sel of Guérande that we will present this month.
The town of Guérande is located on the west coast of France, in Loire Atlantique, near Nantes. A very short distance away are the salt marshes of Guérande, where for the last 2000 years, an ecosystem has been developed on more than 2500 hectares.

There are many salt pans, nearly 400 salt workers work and shape the marshes made up of thousands of carnations.

Our partner Artisans du sel is a family company since Mérédith and Gautier Férard took over the activity in 2018 and produce high quality salt with the help of independent salt workers, respecting a traditional know-how passed down by generations of salt workers who guarantee the true taste of salt.

Also known as the white gold of the ocean, fleur de sel is a natural flavour enhancer, full of micro-nutrients and minerals necessary for our good health.

The fleur de sel is harvested from the surface of the crystal screens with a “lousse”, a kind of rake-skimmer from May to September. After harvesting, it is dried for two years before being marketed. It is a work in successive stages, from the impoundment of the “eyelets” to drying, over a whole year that will guarantee the original shape and raw state of the crystals that have developed in the salt pans.

Fleur de sel can be used in the simplest dishes such as grilled meats, salads, as well as in the most elaborate ones. The secret is to sprinkle the fleur de sel into the food once served and not while cooking. But fleur de sel is also used as a flavour enhancer in chocolate or caramel-based pastry recipes.

Fleur de sel is naturally ecological. To ensure that the salt marshes of Guérande can preserve their ecosystem, Artisans du sel respects the IGP, Natures et progrès specifications.

If you would like to discover the range of fleur de sel from our partner Artisans du Sel as well as grey salts and flavoured salts, simply click here.

If you would like to know if the salts are available in your respective countries, please contact us.

For USA, you can contact Zingermans delicatessen located in Ann Arbor, Michigan or on zingermans.com