Try This! Dipping Salts With Fried Foods

The first time I ordered tempura in Japan, I was surprised that instead of the usual bowl of dipping sauce, one or two flavored dipping salts were served alongside. Surprise turned to joy when I realized dipping salts are the perfect match for fried foods, lending a ton of flavor without weighing them down.

Fried foods with a very light and crispy batter like tempura are especially good with dipping salts, because nothing interferes with the ethereal texture of the coating. But even chunks of fried chicken or fried okra would be great eaten this way.

I mixed a small amount of matcha, black pepper and smoked paprika with some fleur de sel for the salts pictured above, but pretty much any finely-ground seasoning is fair game. (Chunkier herbs and spices can be ground more finely in a spice grinder before being mixed with the salt.) How about crushed black sesame, finely grated lemon zest, or chili powder? Here are a few more seasoning ideas:

• Za'atar
• Garam masala
• Porcini powder
• Sichuan peppercorns
• Mandarin orange dust

Do you ever make dipping salts? What are your favorite ways to season them?

(Image: Anjali Prasertong)

Comments (7)

GOMASIO! (Ground black sesame with sea salt)
We have made our own for years and use it often. Great flavor and actually cuts down on amount of salt used! Especially yummy on rice and steamed veggies.

Slightly different, but I like the salt plus sesame seed oil dipping sauce that I sometimes get at Korean BBQ places. I'm not sure which order of meat (grilled at your table) brings this out, because I don't see it all the time.

The last time I was at Minako (on Mission in SF), one of the specials was a mushroom tempura with curry salt. We smelled that amazing curry salt when the server was still a few feet from our table, and it added a fantastic flavor to the tempura. I hadn't thought of this before either, but I am wholly convinced that it's a good idea after that meal.

Have you read Salted by Mark Bitterman? Genius.

I absolutely love to infuse sea salt with dried citrus rind (much like your mandarin orange dust). It really heightens the flavor of any dish it comes into contact with and the possibilities are rather endless.

sounds like a heart attack..but a good one.

When I was in Paris this May, I was amazed with the quantity and quality of flavoured salts. They were absolutely amazing.