Nantucket Needs Salt

Nantucket has always been defined by the sea, yet the Island is surprisingly short on salt. Dylan Wallace has taken it upon himself to harvest the Atlantic by bringing the flavor o fthe ocean directly to the table. He is a man of many talents; and food is often the thread woven between them. In any given season, you can find him growing, harvesting, cooking, or selling at least a handful from the Island. Now he’s added salt, the most foundational ingredient that amplifies all others, to that list. Solar sea salt is produced by removing salt from the seawater and simply letting summer’s natural warmth pull water into the air, leaving pure salt crystals behind. In the summer, Nantucket is famed for both the sun and the sea. A recipe requiring both is the Island in its purest distillation. Dylan took FLOTSAM along for a ride through the process, starting with a trip out to a quiet edge of the Island that shall remain nameless, as the best spots often are. It’s a spot known for low marine traffic and strong currents, which pulls the most pristine water from the deep.

From here, the seawater heads to his farm, where the greenhouse and drying trays a wait.It is strained of seaweed and ocean debris, then left to evaporate under the strength of the summer sun. Over the coming weeks, crystals form. The water’s surface becomes pocked with geometric patterns, growing in size until they break the surface tension and fall below. The patterns are unique to each salt gathering, mirroring the slight changes in the ocean it self as the year progresses. Gems for the plate instead of for jewelry. By the end, large pools of water have transformed into mounds of solid salt piled high throughout the greenhouse. With the flavor of Nantucket now locked in physical form, Dylan and his wife, Caroline, jar and sell the harvest. Nantucket needs its salt, and salty people, now more than ever. Dylan and his craft em body both in full measure. The Island and its meals are better for it.