Salt is not manufactured. It forms in the ponds of the salt pans. Sea, sun and wind do the work. The salt workers harvest.
The water
Seawater first enters large basins. It then passes through clay-bottomed ponds. There it concentrates. That denser water is the brine.
The brine moves on to the crystallisers. All the ponds sit at the same height. The water passes from one to the next by gravity.
The sun and a steady wind evaporate. From June to September, if the year allows it: heat, little rain.
Sea salt
Virgin sea salt forms in the ponds. There is one harvest, at the end of the season: August or September, according to the year.
It is gathered by hand, as artisan work. It dries in the sun. It is not washed. If there is any impurity, it is cleaned by hand on the drying tables. It is packed and sealed by hand. No plastics.
Fleur de sel
Fleur de sel forms on the surface. It is gathered by hand with the lousse, when the day allows it. If it is not lifted in time, the crystal sinks and joins the salt of the ponds.
Fine, crunchy, delicate crystals. A taste of the sea. It goes on at the end, on the plate.
All of this happens at the Salinas de la Concepción.
