Salt and Mexican CuisineSalt and Mexican Cuisine

The Conquest of New Spain is a memoir of the invasion of Mexico by Spain in 1519–1521, written by Bernal Díaz del Castillo, one of the soldiers who was there. In the account, the author makes numerous references to the necessity of salt and the difficulty the Spaniards, and even some Native Americans, had in acquiring enough of it. Díaz lamented the fact that the conquistadors didn’t even have enough salt to dress their wounds, and the Tlascalan caciques (chiefs) said their people were afraid to leave their villages to search for salt because they were so “beleaguered” by the Aztecs.¹

Their plight is understandable. Salt is the one mineral humans crave, and with good reason—we can’t live without it. But today, many health experts warn that we can’t live with it—that is, with the excessive amounts of salt most of us consume. The key is balance—use enough salt for optimal flavor enhancement but not so much that it is unhealthy.

Finding that balance can be difficult, but one way to achieve it is by developing a sense for seasoning. This is extremely important when preparing Mexican food, where salt plays such a vital role in balancing the heat of chiles, which are so central to the cuisine.

Taste the food periodically throughout the cooking process. Focus on every aspect of the flavor and ask what further seasoning the dish needs (or doesn’t need). Salt is not the only answer. Sometimes a splash of lime or a pinch of sugar will suffice. Or perhaps all that is needed is a little more time for the flavors to meld.

When using salt, make sure it is pure and without additives because the type of salt used will greatly affect the flavor of the food. Common table salt contains additives, such as calcium silicate to make it free-flowing, as well as iodide, a trace nutrient that is often added to table salt. These additives mask the clean flavor of pure salt and should be avoided.

This is why kosher salt is preferred by many chefs—it has no additives. It also has a coarser grain, which makes it easier to handle and more accurate to deliver to the food, and it has roughly one-third to one-half the amount of sodium by volume as the same amount of fine-grained table salt. Expensive sea salts and flavored salts are interesting to work with but primarily intended to be used as “finishing” salts, such as sprinkling fleur de sel on a grilled steak right before serving it.

Using good quality pure salt and tasting enchilada fillings and sauces thoughtfully and often during preparation will ensure that dinner guests won’t be looking for the salt shaker. They won’t need it.