A friend returned from the United States carrying an interesting gift — a small bottle of truffle-infused salt and a set of instructions. You take some crusty bread, slice it, smear a bit of olive oil over each piece, and then lightly sprinkle the truffle salt over it. And that’s the shortest route to seventh heaven.

It’s not just the truffle that does the trick. The salt has a great role to play as well. Gone are the days when salt occupied the lowest table in the kitchen. These days, some of our top chefs are experimenting with various kinds of salts. And if we believe salt tastes just the same — salty, in short — the chefs tell us we are mistaken. Salts have varying tastes and sharpness — and even mild flavours.

Caspian Sea black cod with watermelon cannelloni, potato dumplings and a citrus sabayon

I had a very interesting discussion on this with two leading chefs of Delhi — executive chef Neeraj Tyagi and corporate executive chef Ravi Saxena of The Claridges Hotel — over a salt inspired meal the other evening. The chefs have taken various kinds of salts — such as the Persian blue salt and Hawaiian red — and have paired them with food keeping their specific characteristics in mind.

Strong salts such as the Hawaiian black lava salt and red volcanic salt, for instance, go well with something mildly sweet like duck meat. The chefs sprinkled a bit of their Hawaiian red volcano salt — which sort of gives you a feeling of the ocean if you let your imagination roam — over a dish of duck served with roasted pumpkin and pasta, and the result was mouth-watering.

Iran’s blue salt, on the other hand, has a very light sweet taste, and thus goes very well with something delicate like fish. It certainly worked with the Caspian Sea black cod that they’d cooked — and served with smoked watermelon cannelloni, potato dumplings with truffles and a citrus sabayon, which is an egg-based sauce. The irregular granules — and the taste of the salt on the tip of the tongue — weaved a certain kind of magic that was easy to taste but difficult to define.

Salmon cured in salt, sugar and dill

That there are salts and salts was something that I had learnt from a friend of mine several years ago. The friend, who trained as a chef in France, believes there is nothing than can surpass the taste of fleur de sel (or flower of salt), especially the one harvested from Guérande in France. It has the lightest whiff of the aroma of a flower — which gives the salt its name. The friend sprinkled a few granules over boiled prawns — and after all these years, I still remember its taste.

The Himalayan pink salt — which is almost pungent — goes well with pork, as does the Cyprus salt — which has a sweet flavour. That’s why chef Saxena and chef Tyagi top their cured pork belly (served with pasta) with the white flakes of Cyprus salt.

In recent times, chefs have also been infusing salts with flavours — with amazing results. Chef Chiranjib Chatterjee of Afraa in Calcutta, for instance, has been preparing dishes with salt flavoured with rosemary and oregano, or basil and sweet peppers. The chefs at The Claridges too have been enhancing salts with the flavours of vegetables, fruits and flowers. Their Danish smoked salmon gravlax — which is raw salmon cured in salt, sugar and dill — was served with three kinds of salts: beetroot, citrus and hibiscus.

These exotic salts — which are difficult to procure and cost quite a packet—have to be used in the correct way to bring out the most of their flavours and taste. Your main ingredient — fish, fowl or whatever — has to be lightly cooked when you are trying to enhance the taste with a different kind of salt. Marinate it lightly, the chefs suggest, with a bit of salt. And then sprinkle some salt at the end on top of the dish, so that you get its taste and flavour.

Who would have thought that the lowly salt had so much potential in it? Just goes to tell us that one should never underestimate the meek. They can always surprise us — and in the nicest of ways.

Grilled Cheese (serves 4)

• 200g chèvre cheese • 200g scamorza cheese • 100g roasted pumpkin • 200g
refined flour • 250g plum • 10g Hawaiian black salt • 75g sugar • 75ml white wine
• 5g black pepper • 5g chopped rosemary • 100g quartered cherry tomatoes • 50g balsamic vinegar • 100g rocket leaves • 50g hazelnut • 50g butter • 100ml extra virgin olive oil

Method:

For the pumpkin pancakes: Mash the roasted pumpkin and mix with refined flour and soft butter in the ratio of 5:1. Sprinkle some Hawaiian salt on it. Knead well to form a firm ball of dough. Keep aside for half an hour. Roll out on a floured surface and with the help of a round mould cut into circles. Fry them into medium hot oil till light golden in colour. Set aside.

For the plum salsa: Thinly chop the plums. Heat a heavy-bottom pan. Melt the sugar in it. Add the plums and sauté for a few seconds. Deglaze with white wine and season with Hawaiian salt and black pepper. Set aside.

For hazelnut and rosemary crumble: In a bowl mix refined flour and soft butter in the ratio of 1:1, add chopped roasted hazelnuts and chopped rosemary. Mix all the ingredients well and form brittle dough. Crumble the prepared dough in a baking tray and bake in an oven for 6-8 minutes at 180°C.

Finish: Cut the cheeses into pieces, preferably round. Heat a non-stick pan, add a few drops of olive oil and grill the cheese for a few seconds. Turn once only. Line the rosemary and hazelnut crumble on a plate, place the pumpkin pancakes on top. Arrange the cheese on top of the pancake. Pour plum salsa on the side and add the rocket leaves after sprinkling them with the remaining salt and topping with balsamic marinated cherry tomatoes. Serve hot with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.