than, like, a regular salt. - yeah, yeah. - that you would have. - they re huge. - but it takes much longer to dissolve when you eat it. this salt will not leave us with, like, a real metallic flavor. - and this is also linked to when the flamingos come and visit celestún. it s said that the flamingos get this pink color because they eat the artemia. - the harvesting of the flor de sal is so delicate, it has to be done by hand. oh, god. i m gonna mess it up. they say if you don t scoop it right, then it just becomes normal salt! no wonder it s the most expensive salt in the world. - brilliant! - i did it. now, this is a perfect spot for lunch. wow! - so this is a sea bass. - you don t understand how excited i am
- mmm. [gasps] wow. mmm, that fish is amazing! the contrast of the crunchy salt and the soft, sweet fish is just sublime. i feel like the yucatán has the most appreciation for the land and the rain and the natural elements and the fruit that comes from the tree. like, there s such a thank you to. - yes. - la tierra. - we have delicious ingredients. and with delicious ingredients, we can make delicious recipes.
- really? - yeah. - luis has swapped out the traditional pickled red onions for his own sides of sweet potato, parsnip, and beets. just a little bit of butter, guys. - yeah. - just a little bit of butter. - salt. - and that s it. - and that s it. - i m just gonna wait here while he roasts those beets. the pig from the pib is about to have a sophisticated makeover. - watch out. aah! - we re gonna make, like, a very crispy skin, no? - that s a good idea. - yeah. - i concur. [crunches] - do you hear that? - yes. - that s a crispy skin. - yes! - and i m gonna put it in here. - oh, that s beautiful! - so that s the way we plate it. - look at that presentation. - yeah.
[upbeat music] it s my turn to get starstruck and meet a chef i ve admired for years: regina escalante. [gasps] - hola. mucho gusto. - it s so nice to meet you. i m such a fan! - oh, thank you for coming to merci! please, have a seat. - yes, of course. regina trained as a chef in france before returning home to mérida to open her wildly popular restaurant, merci. the thing i love about her is she obsesses about every detail but particularly the mother of all ingredients: salt. - and you know what s funny? that when i was in france, i learned about all these different types of salt. and for my surprise, when i came to mérida and i learned that the quality of the product that we have here was just, like, really above and beyond on - a global level? - yes, on a global level.
- this is a great idea, an herb brush. [sniffs] oh, that smells so good. a brush made of parsley, rosemary, and thyme is also a neat way to apply the garlic purée. oh, that s gorgeous. - we re gonna do some mangoes, also grilled. - and salt! this is my idea of food heaven. truly, i d have this as my last meal on earth. - i m gonna bring some of the - bring the salt! - flor. - bring the salt. - [laughs] - fish on a beach. now, i feel like i m in mexico. i put my onions first. now, for the star ingredient. - this is the flor de sal, so - this is the flor de - yeah. - this is what we harvested. - you re just gonna put a little, tiny bit. so what s the secret in all of this? it s to season to perfection all the ingredients so that when you add the flor de sal, you don t overseason. - yeah, mm-hmm. - ok?