Fresh Salt At Saybrook Point
After a full-scale renovation and menu overhaul, Saybrook Point Inn's Terra Mar restaurant was in need of a new name. For inspiration, the owners and staff looked to the million-dollar view that remained.
The property sits "at the mouth of the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound, so it's where the fresh water meets the salt water," explains general manager Mitch Marron.
In a way, the restaurant's new moniker, Fresh Salt, also encapsulates the mission of its new menu: "fresh" denoting executive chef Carlos Cassar's conscientious use of local, organic and natural ingredients, and "salt," referring to its intense focus on seafood dishes.
The reborn Fresh Salt debuted at the resort hotel on May 6. Plans began about a year ago when the restaurant's owners, the Tagliatella family, decided it was time for a change, Marron says. Terra Mar had become known as a more formal (and expensive) dining option.
PHOTOS: Fresh Salt
"Terra Mar ... was a longstanding, fabulous restaurant with a great reputation," Marron says. "But the concept needed to change, become more relaxed and contemporary with the times."
The construction opened up the space, with new, larger windows providing unobstructed water views. A new fireplace will be used during the cold months. And a new raw bar displays four varieties of East Coast oysters, clams, shrimp and lobster tails. (The wine list even designates a handful of "oyster whites" by the glass for quick pairing suggestions.)
"I think the raw bar gives [the restaurant] more of a casual atmosphere. People have responded very well," says Cassar. "They can come anytime, grab a couple of oysters, antipasto, tapas."
Cassar, who was born and raised in Mexico, has headed up Saybrook Point Inn's kitchens for 41/2 years. A dedicated member of Connecticut's Farm-to-Chef program, he says it's a natural extension of his upbringing.
"I grew up in a very small town; we only ate what we grew. We didn't have a supermarket," he says.
Over the past year, Cassar honed his skills through internships and workshops at some of the world's most celebrated eateries, studying seafood and French techniques at New York's Le Bernardin and molecular gastronomy at Chicago's Alinea. At Noma in Copenhagen, named "Best Restaurant in the World" by Restaurant magazine two years running, Cassar says he learned how to "stretch the seasons a little" by pickling, curing and drying fresh produce for use in the colder months.
Salt Cured Ham - News
Featured seafood dishes are perennially popular, including Narragansett mussels with fiery tomato sauce, Tasso ham and fresh herbs; cioppino with mussels, shrimp, scallops and calamari in tomato saffron sauce and the unusual grilled Atlantic swordfish
The 14-year-old 4-H member won the July 20 annual ham judging contest. “That's not what I was expecting to get,” she said. Popham plans to save the money for college. She used brown sugar, black pepper and salt to cure the ham. The ham scored 93/100
Cantaloupe is a sweet fixture in this salad with arugula and Serrano ham, drizzled with a smoked paprika dressing. / THE NEWS JOURNAL/JENNIFER CORBETT Serrano, a Spanish cured ham, adds salt to the arugula's pepper and the cantaloupe brings sweetness
They actually need warm temperature to cure.” Columbia/Boone County Environmental Health Manager Gerald Worley said there aren't specific criteria for cured ham, but if the hams are cured properly, they should be fine because salt acts as a
And joy of joys, SALT also serves a credible crisp soft-shell crab po' boy, topped with smoked ham hock-mizuna salad and light Old Bay aioli. I welcome the idea of a SALT II, III, IV and more. Nadine Kam's restaurant reviews are conducted anonymously
hams - The Secret Recipe Forum
Sugar Cured Hams - These are hams thatr have been trimmed and then rubbed with a mixture of either white or brown sugar ( the brown sugar makles a better ham IMHO) and salt and pepper. THe Salt opens the pours of the meat and helps dry the meat so it keeps longer. It also allows the sugar to sock into the meat and give it flavor. The pepper adds to the flavor and also keeps away Flys and insects so they do not lay eggs in the meat and spoil it. They are hung ro allow the juices to drip out and some are smoked as well with either cold or hot smoke For a slice of this style ham, you should either soak the slice in water and change it several times to get out as much salt as possable. Another way is to place the slice of ham into a skillet fill with enough water to cover the slice and slow cook it and change the water several times then brown the ham in its own fat and pour a small bit of water in and deglase the skilelt and make " Redeye Gravy" to go with the bisquites To cook the whole ham, find a kettle big enough to hold the ham and allow it to be covered by at least an inch with water. Some folk put brown sugar or molassa and a bit of vinegar in this water and allow the hame to soak in it then change the water several times.They place it in fresh water and add more brown sugar and maybe some cloves and slow cook it for several hours until the meat reaches 160* on a quick read Thermometer stuck in to the thickest part of ham. They then take it out and remove the outter rind and score the fat and maybe stud it with cloves and place Pineapple rings on it and a glaze made of Pineapple juice More Brown Sugar and mustard and all this to set as they bake it in the oven.
Salt Cured Ham - Bookshelf
Cold-smoking and salt-curing meat, fish, and game
Remember that salt-cured hams are much firmer than today's supermarket "cured" hams. They require soaking in water and longer cooking times. ...The new basics cookbook
Wet-cured, or brine-cured, hams are cured in a solution of water, salt, preservatives, a variety of flavorings, and usually sugar. (Today's producers use a ...Charcuterie, Sausages, Pates, Accompaniments
Seasoning and Flavoring Salt-cured or brined meats have a harsh flavor unless ... process to enhance flavor, for example, junipers with smoked cured ham. ...Joy of cooking
Look for prosciutto di Parma imported from Italy and avoid domestic varieties of unsmoked, salt-cured ham, which do not compare. SERRANO HAM Serrano ham ...CookSmart, perfect recipes for every day
For meat companies, wet-cured hams were easier to produce. By the simple means of injecting the ham with a salt solution, curing was reduced from several ...Casual News Directory
Salt cured ham | Shop salt cured ham sales & prices at TheFind
Salt cured ham - Find the largest selection of salt cured ham on sale. Shop by price, color, locally and more. Get the best sales, coupons, and deals at TheFind.
Country Ham Store, The
Offers salt cured and smoked hams. Also offers recipes and storing information.
Cured ham | Shop cured ham sales & prices at TheFind
Cured ham - Find the largest selection of cured ham on sale. Shop by price, color, locally and more. Get the best sales, coupons, and deals at TheFind.
Ham & Cured Pork
A ham can be "fresh" but is commonly "cured" with salt and may be smoked. ... Curing meats with salt and smoke was originally an important method of preserving them. ...
Country Ham - Salt Cured and Smoked Hams - Recipes
Appalachian Traveller - Choose your next salt and sugar cured country ham from a variety of country ham smokehouses. How to bake, slice, and serve your country ham.