Is Koyo Berry Salt Worth It? We Tasted It to Find Out

Whenever someone I know goes out of town, the only item I ask them to bring back is locally harvested salt. Before I became a chef, my office desk drawer was full of it. I would slide it open to reveal Maldon, applewood-smoked salt, kosher salt, black Icelandic salt, Pangasinan Star fleur de sel, and a little tin of Jacobsen — a crunchy salt harvested on the Oregon coast. Depending on the meal at work that day, I would adjust my plate with a different salt to give it a more satisfying bite. For me, the subtle differences between salts take me on a trip around the world.

As a chef and cookbook recipe developer, I test an average of 400 recipes in a year, not including the slapdash dishes I make at home. Salt is ever-present in my kitchen. Whenever I see a pink salt lamp, I joke about licking it like a goat. In my cookbook, Showdown: Comfort Food, Chili & BBQ, I have a recipe for homemade tomato salt. And, as a trendspotter for the Specialty Food Association’s Fancy Food Shows, I’ve tried everything from salt and pepper blends to floral-infused salt, Himalayan salt slabs, and the Asin Tibuok “dinosaur egg” salt.

Imagine my delight when I discovered Jacobsen berry-flavored salt.

A salt flavored with strawberries

Last year, Jacobsen Salt Co. launched a sea salt with Oishii, the vertical farm known for its luxury strawberries grown to replicate Japanese varietals, which sold out within 36 hours. Now it’s back. Dubbed “summer in a jar,” JSC x Oishii Infused Koyo Berry Salt is a mix of Jacobsen Kosher Sea Salt, cane sugar, and Oishii’s Koyo Berry. 

I’ve been a fan of Jacobsen Salt Co. since the company launched in 2011. Its baby blue portable salt tins were popular among culinary enthusiasts long before Beyoncé had hot sauce in her bag (swag). The salt is harvested from Netarts Bay on the coast of Portland, Oregon, which is filled with oysters that naturally clean the waters. 

The limited-edition Koyo Berry Salt comes in a 2.64-ounce jar and sells for a hefty $18. Jacobsen Salt Co.’s salt buying guide suggests pairing it with fresh fruit, burrata, and ice cream, as well as putting it on the rim of a drink. 

My initial thoughts on Jacobsen Salt Co.’s Koyo Berry Salt

Koyo Berry salt has a pretty pink hue and smells of strawberries grown by the ocean. Upon first taste, I couldn’t place the strawberry flavor. I was expecting a big burst of juicy flavor like Oishii’s original Omakase berry. The Koyo notes are a bit tart, but they get lost among the large clods of sea salt. My instinct was to add more of the condiment to every bite of food to coax more berry flavor, but the salt overpowered it.

However, once I started experimenting with the salt and other toppings, I found that it was indeed a welcome addition to everything from ice cream to fresh fruit. 

How to use it

I treat most flavored salts like finishing salts, because cooking or pickling with them may overpower their delicate flavors. When trying the berry salt, my hunch was that creamy dairy, fruits, and neutral-tasting “blank” items like tofu would be a great place to start. To test its flavor I sprinkled it on everything: my morning green tea, butter with radishes, and a soft-boiled egg.

I also tried it on dairy products like vanilla ice cream, mozzarella, ricotta, condensed milk, and plain Greek yogurt. I found that the strawberry flavor bloomed more when I let the salt sit for a few minutes instead of sprinkling it à la minute. The salt crystals are so large they won’t melt right away and will still crunch when you bite them.

The strawberry flavor was the most pronounced when paired with a fatty accompaniment. A chef friend suggested a drizzle of olive oil, which brightened the berry flavor on vanilla ice cream. I tried it on unseasoned fried chicken skin while I was cooking for an event, and it was fantastic. I also sprinkled it on plums, apple slices, and ripe Ataulfo mango. Alone with the salt, the fruits didn’t bring out the strawberry flavor, but a ripe plum with sesame oil and strawberry salt was toasty and extra-fruity. To my surprise, the best-tasting combination was the berry salt and fresh pineapple, which was bold enough to shine solo. 

I suggest crumbling the salt in your fingers when you use it so it does not dwarf the fruit flavor. The pieces are too large to use on the rim of a cocktail glass, so they need to be crushed further for even coverage, which Jacobsen acknowledges in its Koyo Berry-Infused Margarita recipe. Since there are no anti-caking agents, the salt and sugar may clump if left alone too long. Shake the jar or break it up with a spoon before using.

For the price, this is probably not an everyday salt. But if you’re like me and love to experiment in the kitchen, Koyo Berry Salt is a tasty way to discover new and unexpected flavor pairings. $18 for a 2.64-ounce jar; jacobsensalt.com