Sea salts come in many sizes and colors depending on the region they're extracted from.
There are two main ways of gathering salt for human consumption. The most common way in Western societies is to mine salt from ancient deposits, remove trace minerals through chemical processing and then add iodine. This is what is called table salt. The other method is to evaporate sea water and harvest the salt that's left behind. This is sea salt. Sea salt is sometimes hyped for its nutritional superiority, although studies have yet to confirm these claims as of 2010.
Taste and Texture
Although the nutritional qualities of sea salt are contested, its superiority in taste and texture are not. Because trace minerals such as calcium and potassium are left in the salt, it possess subtle flavor. There are many varieties to choose from, giving chefs greater control over the taste of their food. In addition, there is variety in the texture. Some sea salts are large and granular, while others are fine. This can give salts a noticeable presence within a dish.
Minerals
Table salt is heavily processed to remove minerals, giving it a standardized flavor ideal for mass production. However, in the process, it loses some nutritional value. Processing completely removes calcium, an essential mineral for bone health. The same is true of dozens of other minerals found within sea salt but not table salt. In spite of this, the low yields of these minerals are of little dietary consequence. One-quarter of a teaspoon of sea salt contains less than 1 percent of your recommended daily intake of calcium.
Additives
Table salt usually has additives such as potassium iodide, dextrose and calcium silicate. Although the potassium iodide is added for nutritional purposes---iodine is an essential mineral---the calcium silicate is purely aesthetic (preventing caking), while the dextrose is used to artificially sweeten the salt. For purists, these additives may detract from the salt experience. Sea salt is largely unprocessed and natural.
Tags: calcium silicate, potassium iodide, trace minerals