I like to have seasoning mixtures like this on hand to dress up a meal. Cumin salt is a favorite because the intense flavor seems to enhance just about everything. I sprinkle it over freshly sliced cucumbers
dressed with lemon oil, avocados drizzled with pistachio oil, fish fillets, eggplant, a potato gratin straight from the oven, or fresh chard sauteéd until tender.
Makes 6 mounded tablespoons
Ingredients:
¼ cup very fresh and fragrant cumin seeds
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fleur de sel
Note: This mixture doesn’t last forever, which is why I make it in small quantities. This way it is always fresh and sprightly with flavor. I prefer to grind the cumin and the salt using a mortar and pestle,
because it produces a mixture that is nicely combined but still has much of its delicate crunch. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, do this in a coffee grinder used only for spices, but be gentle about it—
you don’t want fine dust but a full-textured mixture.
1. Place the cumin seeds in a small, heavy skillet over low heat and toast them until they turn golden and begin to emit a fragrant aroma, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove them from the heat and transfer them to a mortar or a spice or coffee grinder. Add the salt and grind the spices together until they are ground uniformly but coarsely. The mixture should be very “sprinkleable.”
2. Store the cumin salt in an airtight container in your spice drawer or another dark, cool spot. It will keep for up to 3 months.
