With every pasta recipe we develop, there’s a critical step that we unabashedly repeat over and over again: Salt. Your. Pasta. Water. But even beyond that essential rule of making great pasta at home, salt is foundational for making any dish sing – whether you’re roasting a chicken or preparing a simple plate of tomatoes.
For Ben Jacobsen, the founder of the Oregon-based Jacobsen Salt Co., salt unlocked a new set of colors after a transformative experience eating an arugula salad in Denmark while he was pursuing his MBA at Copenhagen Business School. After returning home to Portland, he couldn’t shake (heh) his fascination with what he defined as “great” salt – the kind that, yes, coaxes out and heightens the flavor of an ingredient, but also has a considered texture and a distinct expression of origin. He was surprised to discover that, in a region known for its agricultural abundance and respect for local sourcing, he couldn’t find a finishing salt harvested from the waters off the Oregon Coast.
Driven by an intense curiosity to crack the code of making exceptional, locally-made salt that emulated what he experienced abroad, Ben’s entrepreneurial journey began to unfold. He founded Jacobsen Salt Co. in 2011 and, today, his namesake company has also become a household name.
In addition to Jacobsen’s Pure Flake Sea Salt that is the chef’s kiss finish on any dish, and pantry staples such as their Pure Kosher Sea Salt, Ben and his team are constantly innovating and developing new products that level up the home cooking game. We’re huge fans of their Disco Di Sale (See: “Salt. Your. Pasta. Water.”), and their aromatic Sourced Tellicherry Peppercorns inspired us to team up for an “Essential Cacio e Pepe Bundle” last fall. This summer, our muse was their Infused Black Garlic Ginger Salt, a deeply umami seasoning that spawned one of our favorite pasta salads to date: Miso Scallion Mac Salad. (See: “Ultimate Mac Salad Bundle” – aka your new end-of-summer best friend.)
Given our long-standing friendship with Ben, he’s long overdue to join our Pasta People fold. Consider this your Labor Day weekend reading, because Ben is the coolest (and has great taste in music).
You tested 27 different sites along the Oregon and Washington coast before landing on Netarts Bay, south of Tillamook, Oregon. What about this body of water makes the harvested salt so special?
The water in Netarts Bay, Oregon is incredibly unique. It's where some of the best oysters are raised on the Oregon coast. We have just a couple of creeks flowing into the bay, one of which is seasonal. That makes for especially briny seawater. Our facility is positioned at the very south end of the bay, and so by the time the seawater reaches us, it's flowed over tens of millions of oysters. Oysters being bivalve shellfish help filter the seawater, so we end up with an incredibly pure source of high-salinity seawater.
In previous interviews, you've shared that making salt isn't necessarily difficult, but making great salt, consistently, is challenging. What would you define as "great salt," and what characteristics should someone look for when tasting different salts to stock in their pantry?
Yes! Anyone can make salt with access to seawater. What's tricky is to make great salt, consistently with each and every batch. We measure the quality of our salt through three primary variables: Taste, Texture, and Color. Taste: our salt is super clean and briny tasting with no bitter aftertaste. We pare back the calcium and magnesium a bit to give our salt that briny taste. Texture: Our salt is super light and flaky, almost like freshly fallen snow. The Pure Flake Salt and Pure Kosher Salt are both consistent and are reliable standbys in the kitchen. Color: Our Salt is white while having a bit of translucence to it, which is intentional. We want the salt crystals to be thin and delicate enough to have translucency so that they dissipate quickly. All of this adds up to what we hope is the best salt possible.
Walk us through your “Shift Notes.” What’s a day-in-the-life like for you?
I start my days with coffee in bed – a total luxury. And water with salt. I usually have a call at 7am, then do some work, then head out for a run and/or to the gym. I'll usually have meetings and/or Google Meets throughout the rest of the afternoon. If I'm lucky, I may get a walk in with a friend or family before getting dinner. Otherwise, it's a simple dinner at home, listening to KEXP, and winding down for the day.
What album is playing when you’re driving from Portland to visit the facility on the coast?
Ooh, great question. Really depends on what kind of mood I'm in. I like to use the time without cell phone reception to think, but if I'm listening to music, it'd be:
- Built to Spill: Keep It Like a Secret
- Gabriel Ólafs: Solon Islandus
Also a big fan of Old Man of the Woods recently, and it's no secret that I've been to A LOT of Modest Mouse shows :)
We always ask our Pasta People to share their go-to pasta dish. What’s in your current rotation and, aside from the Disco di Sale to season the pasta water, what JSC products are you using?
I've had a lot of great pasta salads this summer! With fresh corn, some Heyday Canning beans, great Flour & Water Penne Pasta, and our Infused Black Garlic Salt, a squeeze of lemon and Enzo Olive Oil - it's awesome.
