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? - 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.
i m like, no. i m 100% mexican. - yes, i know. - and 100% american at the same time, all the time. - that s what i try to do with my cooking, just to be unapologetic and just like the confidence that you give out to the world. - oh, are these the salt lakes? - yes, this is where it starts. - the salt flats of celestún produce many forms of salt, but flor de sal is the purest. it s the magical result of climate and geography. salty seawater combines with sweet rain, slowly evaporating in the tropical heat. and it leaves behind this pinkish-colored crystal. - hola, manuel. - hola. buenos días. - presentó eva. - hola. eva. mucho gusto. - mucho gusto. [speaking spanish] - [speaking spanish]
we re gonna prepare the brush. and this brush is gonna be our secret weapon to just layer up all these herbs. - 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
oh, you re half mexican, half american? i m like, no. i m 100% mexican. - yes, i know. - and 100% american at the same time, all the time. - that s what i try to do with my cooking, just to be unapologetic and just like the confidence that you give out to the world. - oh, are these the salt lakes? - yes, this is where it starts. - the salt flats of celestún produce many forms of salt, but flor de sal is the purest. it s the magical result of climate and geography. salty seawater combines with sweet rain, slowly evaporating in the tropical heat. and it leaves behind this pinkish-colored crystal. - hola, manuel. - hola. buenos días. - presentó eva. - hola. eva. mucho gusto. - mucho gusto. [speaking spanish] - [speaking spanish]
- oh, wow. - sí. - the crystals here, they re much bigger 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.