Rock Salt

Rock salt is a coarse, crystalline form of sodium chloride mined from natural mineral deposits. Its large, crunchy shards deliver a clean, briny salinity and tolerate high heat; cooks use it for salt-crusting fish or vegetables and for freezing-point depression when churning ice cream. Sold as large crystals or chunks, it is typically ground before table seasoning.\n\nFormed from evaporated ancient seas, rock salt is mined worldwide, notably in South Asia, Europe, and North America. It appears in South Asian fasting cuisines as sendha namak and in Mediterranean salt-bake traditions; producers crush, screen, and sometimes wash the crystals after extraction.