LUXURY HOSTESS GIFTS - CULINARY SEA SALTS (GALLERY)

Gourmetsleuth.com packages this premium grey salt from France with a polished pewter bowl and a 4.5-inch salt-spoon, in a purple take-out container. Luxury salt kits like this reflect the growing popularity of culinary sea salts, with their delicate distinctions in flavor. Worth more than your average table salt, there’s an amazing array, from pink-tinged Redmond RealSalt from ancient salt deposits in Utah, to flaky crystals from Wales, and a fine-grained variety from Italy.

On Seattle’s Chefshop.com there are salts from 12 different countries. VP Michael Janiszewski sees more people looking for healthy alternatives to heavily processed table salts, with a trend towards home-grown specialty salts, especially from Maine.

GourmetSleuth offers culinary salts such as Hawaiian Sea Salt, Bali Coconut Lime Smoked Salt, and the so-called caviar of salts, Fume de Sel Chardonnay Smoked Salt. Developed in cooperation with a winery and cold-smoked in oak chips to preserve natural flavors, a 7.4 oz of Fume de Sel goes for $19.95.  Just as charmingly wrapped up in pricey jars are Chefshop’s Fleur de Sel de Guerande-Hervy ($15 for 5.4 oz) and Fleur de Sel de Camargue from Provence (about $12 for 4.4 oz). Chances are you won’t be tossing any of these crystals over your left shoulder.