Nihon Chomiryo Tabi
Yukishio Powder Salt (雪塩)
The story behind it
Beneath Miyakojima lies a layer of Ryukyu limestone. Groundwater seawater that has passed through this natural filter, formed from coral built up over ages, comes out remarkably clean.
Yukishio is made by drawing up that groundwater seawater and spraying it onto a heated metal plate, where it evaporates instantly. The proprietary method keeps even the bittern components that ordinary salt production removes. That is why it once held a Guinness record for the number of minerals it contains.
In your hand it looks like powdered snow. The fine, powdery crystals settle lightly onto food, with no sharp saline edge. It is a salt that turns the sea of a southern island into crystal form.
How to use it
The powder form makes it ideal for sprinkling. Use it as a dipping salt for tempura, on rice balls, or to season meat and fish before cooking. It also works as a background note in sweets, in the style of salted chinsuko.