Kampot fish salt

Along the coast at Kep and Sihanoukville, fish goes on the grill whole and gets seasoned before it goes on, not after. A dry rub sticks to wet skin, draws a little moisture, and forms the thin crust that keeps the flesh from drying out over charcoal. This blend is built for exactly that job, on a base of unrefined Kampot sea salt.

It is sharper and more aromatic than a plain salt, without being hot. The point is to lift a delicate flesh, not to cover it.

Using it

Score the fish, dry the skin with paper, then rub the salt into the cuts and the cavity twenty minutes before cooking. Do not oil first, or the salt will slide off. Over charcoal or under a grill it will form a crisp skin that lifts away cleanly.

It also works on prawns in the shell, on squid, on a fish baked whole in foil with lemongrass, and on a simple pan-fried fillet where you want one seasoning and nothing else. Away from fish, it is good on roast potatoes and on grilled aubergine.

Why buy it here

The salt base comes from the pans about thirty minutes from our Kampot shop, and the blend is made in small quantities rather than held in stock for years, which matters for anything aromatic. It travels well and it is one of the easier things to explain as a gift: everyone grills a fish.

Sold in a 150 g tube and a 75 g grinder refill, in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Kampot.