Smoked Sea Salt from Trader Joe’s
PLEASE bring back this product. It WAS superior to other brands because it was lightly smoked and didn’t overpower the food.
Trader Joe’s indeed used to have smoked sea salt that came with its own built-in grinder, but sadly it’s one of many that got discontinued a while back. There is good news for those who enjoyed this particular salt with a rich smoky flavor with a hint of Umami. Here is what we’ve discovered that could recreate that taste on your next visit to Trader Joe’s.
What does Trader Joes offer for smoked salts?
At a time when Trader Joe’s was starting to carry many types of spices and seasonings, there was a complaint from the Lawry’s Seasoned Salt brand. It seems that the packaging for their seasoning salt looked too similar to Lawry’s, so it was decided to be pulled from their shelves. Luckily, there is a current line of seasoned salts that are better than ever but don’t include their iconic Smoked Sea Salt anymore.
Blogs as far back as 2011 mention how it could be used to add flavor to many dishes and will be sorely missed. The only similar smoked sea salt you can get from TJ’s comes in a smaller sampler of sea salts called Trader Joe’s 7 Salts of the Earth. It contains one vial that features an oak-smoked sea salt that isn’t the same as their earlier brand but might be good in a pinch.
Their newest line of smoked salt does include a new variant that now features a South African smoke seasoning with sea salt added. It contains paprika flakes, garlic, sea salt, and basil that can be ground up finer using the built-in grinder on the lid. It’s good for BBQ and other dishes that need a slow-roasted smoky flavor. They also sell straight sea salt that doesn’t have any smoky flavor.
Perhaps a quick fix is to spray liquid smoke onto the sea salt and let it dry. This can then be returned back to the bottle to get a smoky flavor.
How to recreate the original TJ’s smoked sea salt flavor
As mentioned before, there is hope for those who loved the original TJ’s sea salt and want to make it at home. You can buy these items at Trader Joe’s and will be easy to pull off. The first item you’ll need is some TJ’s sea salt. The contents need to be emptied and spread out onto a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Now you’ll need a bottle of Umami seasoning blend that is sprinkled over the sea salt.
Now what you want to do is spray liquid smoke onto these two seasonings and then bake it dry in your oven for 10-15 minutes at 150 degrees Fahrenheit. The parchment paper can be folded in half so it makes it easier to put back into the original bottle. There will be extra leftovers, so place the remainder inside a small baby jar. Once the grinder grinds up these ingredients, the result should be a great recreation of their original smoked sea salt flavor.
