Finishing salts with ingredients from your garden are so fresh and delicious.
They can be used on meat or roasted vegetables as a quick seasoning, mixed with oil for a bread dip, combined with oil and vinegar for a marinade, or whipped into softened butter for a savory compound spread.
For this blend you will need to harvest cherry tomatoes, garlic, onion, and basil from your garden. From the pantry, you just need salt. And a lemon or two from the market (unless you live somewhere you can grow those too!)
First, you’ll need to dehydrate these items completely. Moisture is your enemy here because it could create an environment where mold could grow. Slice the tomatoes in half, thinly slice the garlic and onion, peel the zest from the lemon, and wash and pat the basil dry.
You can use a dehydrator (follow the instructions that come with it for herbs and other items) or the oven. I dehydrated mine using a convection oven set at 175 degree(F). The herbs took 1-2 hours and the tomatoes, garlic and onion took about 4-5 to get completely dry.
When the ingredients are ready, add all but the salt to a coffee grinder (don’t use your regular coffee grinder or it will make your coffee smell like herbs – which no on wants!)
Then add the salt, shake well, and pour into pretty containers. This salt makes a wonder gift. It can be added to a bowl with olive oil for a bread dip, mixed with butter for a wonderful spread, or mixed with oil and vinegar/lemon juice for a quick marinade. Enjoy it your self or give it as a gift!
Tomato-Lemon-Garlic Finishing Salt
These dehydrated items from your garden are so delicious as a salt and help extend your harvest into the holidays!
- Dehydrator or oven
- Coffee Grinder
- Baking Sheet
- 30 cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1/4 onion, thinly sliced
- 4-6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 handful fresh basil
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1-2 TBSP sea salt
Slice and dehydrate all ingredients except salt in the oven or dehydrator
Once completely dry, blend in a coffee grinder until the mix is the consistency of salt
Add salt to taste and mix well
Pour salt blend into containers and store in the cabinet with an airtight lid
Thank you so much! The finishing salts are going to be my homemade holiday gifts. I’ve already ordered the spice jars and labels for them. I know it’s early but love this idea and will send photos in the fall of my finished gifts. Thank you Toni!!!
Thank you so much for the herbed salt recipe as well as other herbed salts. I’m creating and plan on doing these for upcoming holiday gifts. I’ve already ordered spice jars with labels. Thank you for the great idea and inspiration. I’ll send photos in the fall!!