This simple, yet incredibly flavoursome, tomato and mozzarella salad is flavoured with garlic-infused Himalayan pink salt from The Good Salt Company Ltd. Get the recipe, suitable for gluten-free, low carb and keto diets (and includes a vegan option and Weight Watchers points), and find out why you should be using Himalayan pink crystal salt in our interview with the company manager, Morgan Loughton.

Tomato & Mozzarella Salad with Himalayan Pink Salt

This is one of my all-time favourite simple salads. It’s a bit more substantial as a meal than Caprese salad: layers of vine-ripened tomatoes and fresh buffalo mozzarella drizzled in olive oil sprinkled with salt and a little fresh basil.

For my salad recipe, I’ve added some baby leaf salad leaves, a layer of crunchy, thinly sliced red onion and the delicious zing of balsamic vinegar. Serve on its own with some fresh crusty bread for a quick and easy lunch, or alongside some grilled meat and a glass of chilled wine for something more substantial.

What Ingredients do you need for this Tomato & Mozzarella Salad with Himalayan Pink Salt?

• 90 grams (one bag) of baby leaf salad
• 220 grams vine-ripened tomatoes. I’ve used cherry (as that’s all that was in my local supermarket), but any good quality ripe tomato will work. Mixed baby tomatoes in assorted colours make for an attractive salad if you’re wanting something a little more special. Just make sure the tomatoes are at room temperature.
• 1 small red onion (or more, depending on taste)
• 125 grams fresh buffalo mozzarella cheese (drained weight)
• 60 ml good quality olive oil – I use Pomora (who ship both to the UK and USA)
• 60 ml balsamic vinegar of Modena
• Himalayan pink crystal organic garlic seasoning salt – or regular Himalayan salt and 1-2 cloves of garlic, depending on taste
• freshly ground black pepper
• fresh basil leaves

How to Make a Simple Tomato & Mozzarella Salad

1. Arrange a layer of your favourite baby leaf salad on a serving plate.
2. Finely slice one red onion (a mandolin slicer makes short work of this) and arrange over the top of the salad.
3. Slice vine-ripened room temperature tomatoes into 0.5-centimetre slices and arrange in a single layer across the top of the red onion. I’ve used cherry tomatoes, but you can use any variety. Mixed colour heirloom tomatoes make for a colourful dish.
4. Tear a ball of fresh buffalo mozzarella into pieces and arrange over the top.
5. Mix together equal parts good quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar of Modena, seasoning well with Himalayan organic garlic seasoning salt. Shake to combine and drizzle over the salad. You can also use regular Himalayan pink crystal salt and finely chop a clove (or two) of fresh garlic, sprinkling it over the top at this stage.
6. Finish off with some freshly torn basil, a generous grinding of fresh black pepper and some more Himalayan organic garlic seasoning salt.

I confess that ever since I began cooking for myself, I have been a staunch sea salt fan. You will not find one single recommendation for land salt anywhere in my previous blog posts over the last seven years. I love the flavour of sea salt, and I love how it can be sourced locally, as opposed to mines thousands of miles away. 

To me, Himalayan pink salt was something that those health-obsessed people opted for – like almond ‘milk’ and avocado toast (on gluten-free artisan sourdough, of course). Not for me.

Ok, yes, I realise I can be a bit narrow-minded sometimes (and perhaps a bit judgmental). I’m a work in progress; I’m not perfect.

The thing is that I am open to new ideas and concepts, new suggestions, new data. Nothing that I believe is fully set in stone, which is why, when The Good Salt Company Ltd. sent me a few samples of their gorgeous products, I began to look into that trendy phenomenon which is Himalayan pink salt.

The eye-opener, for me, was when my investigations brought me to this research paper. Sea salt is contaminated with microplastics! If you look at the map in this article, you’ll see one of the areas tested corresponds with the location of one of the UK’s top sea salt manufacturers.

I wanted to know some more about Himalayan pink salt, so I asked the Good Salt Company Ltd’s company manager Morgan Loughton a few questions.

Interview with the Good Salt Company Ltd’s company manager Morgan Loughton

What is Himalayan Pink Salt?

Himalayan salt is a crystal formed 250 million years ago in Northern Pakistan.

It was discovered in 326 B.C. when adventurer Alexander the Great had stopped to make camp and discovered the horses all licking the salty rocks.

This was the initial discovery of the inland sea that had been pushed into mountains along a fault line. As this sea wasn’t exposed to modern pollutants it had kept its natural chemical balance. The minerals absorbed from volcanic clay, such as iron oxide or magnesium all contribute to its health benefits and flavour.

Photo by Autri Taheri on Unsplash

Why is Himalayan Pink Salt Pink?

The reason it is pink is due to the minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron oxide. These are clearly visible in the pink colour due to the clarity. 

Himalayan pink salt can be stronger or weaker coloured depending on its exposure to volcanic decay; the colour is stronger when it has had much closer exposure to the volcanic clay and has a much stronger taste.

The balance to create a flavoursome salt is a good mixture of the darker and lighter pink salt mined from different areas of the mine.

A stronger much darker pink salt has recently been discovered and is beginning to enter sample stages with options to market this product soon. 

Photo credit: www.goodsaltcompany.com

What are the nutritional benefits of Himalayan pink salt?

Himalayan salt offers a wide range of benefits, from health to flavour. 

To begin, with the 82 minerals found in Himalayan salt are all naturally occurring in the body. A large majority of the foods we eat in western culture don’t contain these minerals and they are often lost through sweat. Many of our customers are either training or involved with regular yoga and have found the salt to revitalise. Plain Himalayan salt chunks in filtered water can be used as a drink.

Himalayan pink salt is also not exposed to plastics, pollutions and other contaminates involved with sea salt.

It is mined in family-run mines, packaged in the mines, sealed and despatched without being exposed. More and more sea salt is beginning to find plastics from microbeads that fit through the filter process.

Photo credit: www.goodsaltcompany.com

How are you inspired for your Himalayan Salt Grinder flavour combinations?

Flavour is a large part of Himalayan salt itself. It has a much stronger flavour compared to other salts, meaning its serving sizes are half the size.

We also discovered it absorbs from its surroundings, this gave us the idea to create infused salt, such as our garlic, chilli or onion mixes.

A majority of our mixes are organic and the flavour is enhanced from this. We have also avoided using any palm oil in our products. We discovered this was being used by other companies to enhance the flavour and colour of the natural product whilst keeping the natural element of the product. 

We also discovered that when you want a healthy lunch filled with flavour but you don’t have time to sort garlic or herbs to add but with our mixes, it makes flavour-filled food easy. 

When did The Good Salt Company begin trading? 

The business began back in 2005, and since then we have continued to improve our ingredients, ensuring the range is sticking to its ethical elements and all products are honest.

The company has always been focused on being eco friendly, we’ve been the first to offer eco refill paper bags made from recycled materials whilst still being BPA free and our mills/shakers have always been made of recycled glass and reusable lids/grinders to ensure they are reused or recycled (also BPA free).

Why should people switch to Himalayan pink salt?

Regardless of its health benefits, beautiful colour, lack of contaminates and its many uses throughout life I’d have to say its flavour.

People who don’t like salt often like Himalayan pink salt. It tastes natural and whilst adding flavour doesn’t overpower; it complements and enhances, which is what we want in a seasoning.

I’ve had meals with sea salt, or other health salts, that seem to punch through all the flavours in the meal and overpower my tastebuds. If you take a granulate of the Himalayan salt and taste it you get an idea for its range of complex flavours.

Is Himalayan pink salt sustainable? 

Yes, since Alexander the Great’s discovery Himalayan pink salt has been mined by hand using specialised tools.

The back story is incredible and how little it has changed. The mountains also have been mined in a way that protects the majority of the mountain and very little of the rock is actually taken.

The mining trade has created a large community, lots of business opportunity, tourism and a strong trade link.

It is Pakistan’s most valuable agricultural products. All workers are provided fair wages and are managed by officials to ensure all work is humane.

The product has a very small carbon footprint and our products continue to support this eco-friendly approach. 

Photo credit: Dragne Marius on Unsplash

What’s your favourite recipe to showcase Himalayan pink salt?

I’m personally not much of a great cook myself, and that’s half the reason for our mixes.

I like simple meals such as homemade pizza, poached eggs or salmon. One of my favourites is a tortilla with some olive oil, mixed herb and 4 peppercorn seasoning salt sprinkled on top with a large pot of hummus. Some fried halloumi alongside makes for a tasty lunch or a nice starter to dinner.

Where to Buy Himalayan Pink Salt

You can find the Good Salt Company Ltd Himalayan pink salt on Amazon and Etsy.

What to Serve with this Tomato & Mozzarella Salad

This tomato and mozzarella salad tastes delicious on its own with some fresh crusty bread. Alternatively, you could make it into a more substantial meal by serving it as a side dish along with some grilled or barbecued chicken, pork or seafood.

A glass of chilled wine wouldn’t go amiss either.

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