Maldon Crystal Salt Company Limited,[1] trading as Maldon Salt, is a salt-producing company in Maldon on the high-salinity banks of the River Blackwater in Essex, England. The river is favoured by flat tide-washed salt marshes and low rainfall.
Sea salt production in the coastal town of Maldon dates back to the time of Roman Britain when clay-lined salt evaporation ponds were constructed, and according to the Domesday Book, 45 lead pans were used to manufacture salt there in 1086.[2]
The Maldon Salt Company was founded under its current name in 1882, having previously been part of a local coal firm.[3] In the 1990s and early 2000s, Maldon's salt grew in popularity after being used by prominent chefs including Ruth Rogers, Delia Smith, and Jamie Oliver.[4]
Maldon Sea Salt is made on a large scale by evaporating brine over an elaborate network of modern gas fired brick flues. At one time crystal drying was by woodburning stove and later by industrial oven before the use of a Rube Goldbergian oscillator was introduced. In 2017 it was said that inverted pyramid-shaped crystals prevented the salt from caking, and the resulting flakes from their breakdown were used as a finishing salt.
The company claims that the salt's low magnesium content means it has less of a bitter aftertaste than other salts.[4] Salt gained from evaporating sea water has a higher magnesium ion content than some table salts.[5]