Amagansett Sea Salt Co.

Letting Salt Just Be Salt: 

“I was very surprised when we first went into this that no one was making salt in New York, and very few on the East Coast; but, as we’ve become more involved in the business, I think there are very few people who are crazy enough to start a project like this.”

Meet Steven and Natalie Judelson, sea-salt fanatics and husband & wife team behindAmagansett Sea Salt Co. in Long Island, NY.  They are New York State’s only sea salt makers and one of only four artisan salt makers on the entire Eastern Seaboard.

The Judelsons’ love of salts came naturally: they’ve always preferred savory over sweet, a preference that got them addicted to tasting and collecting all-natural sea salts over 20 years ago. What they learned is that real salts, salts not heavily processed in factories, don’t all taste the same. They have their own unique “terroir” – nuanced flavors that give a product a special sense of place. So, given their fascination and proximity to the ocean, they started making their own sea salt, for fun, out of their beach home in Amagansett. Over the past ten years, Steven has slowly perfected his homemade sea salt harvesting and “farming operation”, to the point where in 2009, they took “a leap of faith” and decided to share their passion with others.

Right now, Amagansett Sea Salt Co. offers 10 different sea salt blends. You can find them in various farmers markets out in the Hamptons, or at specialty stores, like Shelsky’s Smoked Fish, here in New York City. I recommend trying the East Hampton Blend with Herbes de Provence. It goes great with eggs, grilled seafood and meats. I also really like their Montauk Blend with lemon zest, which is a nice compliment to vegetables and fruits, and also goes great as a salt rim for margaritas.