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The right salt elevates summer’s favorite fruit

Sweet and juicy watermelon is the perfect raw material for a poolside drink, a kid-friendly sorbet or a slice-and-eat snack. But it’s also terrific sprinkled with salt. Fresh melon and salt are nothing new, but the combo remains in style for the same reason we love kettle corn and salted caramel—because sweet tastes better when it’s got a salty partner.

In preparation for this Saturday’s Melon Mania at the Red Stick Farmers Market downtown, I reached out to Anne Milneck, chef-owner of Red Stick Spice Co., for advice on exactly what salt works best for elevating watermelon.

Milneck recommended Vanilla Bean Salt, Vermont Maple Salt and Murray River Salt.

“The first two speak for themselves,” she says. And it’s true. Sprinkle a little over a slice and you get glimpses of vanilla or maple alongside subtle saltiness and the explosive sweetness of the melon.

“Murray River is an Australian salt that is super clean-tasting and is preferred by pastry chefs,” she says. “We love it for the taste and crunch. I think it’s the best bet for a straight-up, non-flavored salt for fruit.”

The three salts all worked beautifully on the melon, providing extra depth of flavor and creating a notable dessert that doesn’t get much simpler.

Milneck carries other boutique salts at her Jefferson Highway shop, including Fleur de Sel and Sel Gris, but says that these would be too wet and “ocean-y” tasting. The popular Himalayan salt, she adds, would present too much minerality. And, avoid table or Kosher salt if you can. They’re too harsh.

For more updates on food and more, follow Maggie Heyn Richardson on Twitter at @mhrwriter.