This recipe for Toasted Szechuan Peppercorn Salt is a great seasoned salt to have on hand, lending an Asian flair to many dishes.
Sometimes the difference between a really great lunch and just a ho-hum affair is experimenting with new and different flavors. This is why a few homemade seasoned salt recipes are great to have in one’s pantry — it just keeps life interesting!
Seasoned salts can add a note of something special to all kinds of simple mainstays, such as an otherwise innocuous scoop of cottage cheese or the ubiquitous boiled egg.
So, here’s my take on Toasted Szechuan Peppercorn Salt. Some recipes call for toasting the peppercorns in some oil before grinding but I don’t find the oil necessary. I just toast the peppercorns in a dry skillet on medium high heat for about 3 minutes or until the peppercorns fill the kitchen with their fragrance. Once cooled, I grind them in a spice grinder, run them through a sieve, and mix them with fine sea salt.
I do find that salt blends don’t really taste their best until they’ve had a chance to sit in a cool, dark, dry place for 2 or 3 days, so plan ahead on this one.
For some additional information on Szechuan pepper and to visit a really fun site with some interesting recipes, check out Omnivor’s Cookbook.
You’ll find lots of different spellings for these peppercorns — Schezwan, Sichuan, or Szechuan to name a few but anyway you spell it, the flavor is unique. It’s somewhat citrusy, somewhat floral, has a bit of a gingery sting (but it’s not too hot), and is slightly astringent, as in balsam or pine. Toasting does seem to cut way down on the slight numbing quality on the lips and tongue that these peppercorns possess.
Szechuan peppercorns* aren’t really peppercorns at all, but are actually a dried berry. Here’s more information on Szechuan peppercorns from The Epicentre.
I hope you enjoy this recipe for Toasted Szechuan Peppercorn Salt. Please use the Comments section below to share your thoughts.
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Passive Time | 2-3 days |
| Servings |
servings (¼ teaspoon each)
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- 2 tablespoons Szechuan peppercorns*
- 4 tablespoons fine sea salt
Ingredients
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- In a dry skillet, on medium-high heat, shaking frequently, toast the Szechuan peppercorns until their aroma starts to fill-up your kitchen.
- Remove from the heat and transfer to a paper towel to cool.
- When Szechuan peppercorns are cooled, transfer to a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.
- Force the powder through a small seive and combine with the fine sea salt.
- Store in a glass jar in a cool, dark, dry place for 2 to 3 days to allow the flavor to permeate the salt and develop.
Nutritional facts per serving:
0 calories
0g fat
590mg sodium
0g carbs
0g fiber
0g protein