A Chef Worth His Salt

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Cambridge restaurant Loyal Nine preserves more than 18th-century culinary traditions. Chef Marc Sheehan busily brines, cures, confits and ferments many components of his Colonial-inspired dishes, and it all boils down to what he says is the restaurant’s primary seasoning: salt. “We use it a lot more to layer and build flavors than we do to just season something,” Sheehan says. “To a certain extent, it’s the most crucial ingredient we use.” And it’s important enough that he set out to make his own. “I like that the restaurant has the ability to influence the taste, even down to an elemental level,” Sheehan explains, adding that it’s also an excuse to occasionally escape the kitchen to his favorite beach.

Every two weeks, Sheehan wades into North Scituate’s waters to fill a 30-quart Cambro storage container. Back in Cambridge, a pot is kept on a pilot light for a week to reduce the solution as slowly as possible. (While it could be done in three or four hours, Sheehan prefers the lengthier approach’s larger salt crystals.) Next, the resulting slush is transferred to a dehydrator for a few days, and then the quart-and-a-half yield is stored in airtight containers. By the time the two-week process plays out, it’s back to Scituate.

Making sea salt comes with challenges beyond the time commitment, from freezing winter temperatures to car seats sloshing with seawater on drives back to the city. But the ability to control the texture, moisture and crystal size makes it worthwhile for Sheehan, who says the housemade seasoning shines on dishes like the fried soldier beans, where it’s one of just three components. The salt is also a finishing touch on each order that lands in front of guests, a salute to the local waters that helped influence his seafood-heavy menu. “I wanted to honor that area for what it had done for me in terms of creativity,” Sheehan says, “so that every dish that left the restaurant would have a part of that.”

 


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