Sea salt harvest

Saltern near Tavira

The excellent water quality, without detectable contamination by industrial effluents, sewage dumping, agricultural and radioactive pollutants, favours the traditional gathering of seasalt.

Flooding

Derived from clean sea water, the brine flows into small crystallizer ponds. Water evaporates through sun and wind. At a concentration of 250 to 280 grams per litre, the salt starts crystallizing and sinks to the pond bottom.

Flor de Sal

Lamellous, flaky crystals form a thin and shiny layer that floats on the surface of the brine, which is skimmed off by hand every day in good weather conditions.

Flor de Sal

Skimmed off by hand every day in good weather conditions and simply sun dried before packaging, this finest sea salt brings its delicate, slightly sweet flavour to carpaccios, salads and all prepared dishes.

Gathering by hand

Salt precipitates during several days, until most of the brine is used up. The salt is gathered every 10 to 14 days by hand.

Wooden Rake

The wooden rake is the traditional tool used by the Algarvians since centuries to gather the sea salt from the brine.

Piles beneath the ponds

The salt is shaped to piles beneath the ponds. Fresh brine is led to the ponds to start crystallization again

Sal Tradicional

This unprocessed seasalt comes from small traditional crystallizer ponds. Sun drying keeps the natural moisture and the sea water's minerals. Before packaging, Marisol Sal Tradicional is carefully ground coarse or fine according to the customer's needs. I

Sal Tradicional

The sun and wind causes the water to evaporate. At a concentration of 250 to 280 grams per litre, the salt starts crystallizing and sinks to the bottom of the ponds.

Sal Tradicional

Salt precipitates for several days, until the brine is used up. The salt is gathered every 10 to 14 days by hand with wooden rakes and shaped into piles in the ponds.

Sal Tradicional

Traditional wooden rakes, used for centuries, gather the salt and shape it into piles.

Sal Tradicional

The result of two weeks of hard labour.

Sal Tradiional: the final product

Unrefined seasalt keeps its moisture – the »mother liquor« – and preserves its mineral composition, contributing to a healthy and tasteful nutrition.