The #1 Seasoning to Buy at Costco, According to a Food Editor

The first time I ever bought Maldon sea salt flakes was nearly two decades ago when I was following a chocolate chip cookie recipe that called for them. Once the dough was finished, the recipe instructed to portion it into balls, arrange them on a baking sheet and sprinkle the sea salt flakes over the top prior to baking. 

When the cookies came out of the oven, I let them cool slightly and then bit into one. It had a puddle of rich, melty chocolate; a sweet, buttery flavor; and a very welcome contrasting hint of saltiness and a little crunch from the sea salt flakes. I was hooked. I’ve been making chocolate chip cookies—and more—with Maldon sea salt flakes ever since. I even travel with a small container of them, so I can add a little flavor to dishes in a pinch!

In the past, I’ve spent $10.95 on an 8.5-ounce box. So imagine my joy when I recently came across a 20.12-ounce tub of the shimmery, pyramid-shaped flakes at my local Costco for just $6.99. I immediately put one in my cart. It will take me a while to get through a tub of that size, even considering how often I use the flakes, but it will keep for years—it is salt, a preservative, after all. To me, these tubs are an absolute steal. 

What Are Sea Salt Flakes?

You’ve likely noticed that salt comes in all shapes and sizes, ranging from the tiny table salt granules to larger kosher salt and sea salt flakes. There are even specialty salts out there, like fleur de sel and Himalayan pink salt. And chefs have strong opinions about which salts to use when. 

Sea salt flakes are a finishing salt. You wouldn’t want to, say, dump them into a pot of boiling water to season pasta—that would be a waste—and you wouldn’t want to bake or cook with them, as they wouldn’t add the right level of saltiness to your food (unless you did some amount conversions, but again it’s kind of a waste to use them this way). What you do want to use them for is adding a much-needed bit of salt to something before serving. 

How Do I Use Sea Salt Flakes?

After reading that, you might be thinking that sea salt flakes sound so cheffy and fancy, but I promise you there are plenty of everyday uses for them. The simplest, and perhaps my favorite, is that you can just sprinkle the sea salt flakes (be sure to crumble them as you sprinkle) on softened or whipped butter and spread it on fresh bread. It’s a match made in heaven. I’ll also often drizzle toast with olive oil and sprinkle some flakes on top. Here are some other ways to use the flakes.

• Avocado toast. Expanding on my love of toast with olive oil and sea salt flakes, I’ll also make my avocado toast with the flakes. I just toast a nice piece of sourdough or a seedy whole-grain bread, spread sliced avocado on top, drizzle on some olive oil, grind a little pepper over it and sprinkle the sea salt flakes on top. If you haven’t tried this, you’ll find it’s a nice way to perk up everyday avocado toast. This works with things like cottage cheese toast too.
• Grilled cheese sandwiches. Have you ever made a grilled cheese sandwich and felt like it was good, but it could use a little something? Enter sea salt flakes. Just crumble and sprinkle a few on top, and it will instantly make that grilled cheese taste a whole lot better (not that a grilled cheese could ever really be bad).
• Salads. Any sort of salad that’s thoughtfully prepared and arranged could likely benefit from some sea salt flakes. I’m talking about something like a caprese salad with its layers of tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. I’ll usually drizzle some good-quality balsamic vinegar and olive oil on top and then sprinkle on the sea salt flakes. They help bring everything together. The sea salt flakes are even a nice addition to a citrus salad.
• Meats. This past Christmas, I made a beef tenderloin, and after I had sliced and plated up the perfectly pink meat, my brother looked at it and suggested that it needed some finishing salt. He was right. I dug through the bin of kitchen stuff I’d brought to my parents’ house for the holidays and found my travel container of sea salt flakes. The little crystals were the perfect touch, adding not just to the appearance but to the overall taste. You can do this with any sort of roasted or grilled meats.
• Desserts. I love a little sprinkle on top of chocolate chip cookies, of course, but also on other types of cookies, brownies, chocolate cake and even chocolate mousse. When you use them on something smooth like chocolate mousse, you really notice the little crunch they add, too.
• Candies. If you make homemade toffee or caramels (something I do for gifting around the holidays), a sprinkle of sea salt flakes will elevate them. The flakes are even a perfect topping for hot chocolate bombs, where they enhance the flavor of the chocolate. Sweets are lovely, but it’s that hint of salt that really takes them over the top. 

The Bottom Line

Sea salt flakes are a great addition to many dishes, whether savory or sweet. They might sound fancy, but you can use them in everyday applications. And, hey, if that makes your dishes seem more fancy, I say just own it and accept all the compliments that come your way. I love these little flakes so much that I always have them on hand in my own kitchen, but I also bring them with me on vacations where I know we’ll have a kitchen and be cooking or when I go to my parents’ house for the holidays, where I know I’ll be in charge of making a caprese wreath and a roast beef tenderloin. If you can find them at your local Costco, I encourage you to invest in a tub. I’m sure you’ll find myriad uses for it.