Get My FeedWelcome
Recent PostsGiveaway: Philippine Sea SaltBangus SisigLA Times' Pandan Chiffon Cake with Coconut GlazeRat Tails in the GardenIf Elvis Were Filipino...Picnic for the Planet & Some Fried ChickenHomemade Ube Pop TartsTwo Words: Done DealBanana 2 ConferenceFourCategoriesAdobo RecipesBeefBeer, Liquor, & WineBL OriginalsBL Restaurant ReviewsCookbooksDessertsFruits and VeggiesGiveawaysHow to Make LumpiaKalamansiLasang PinoyMy Cookbook!On The GrillOtherPancit (Filipino Noodles)PorkPoultrySeafoodThe BL FamThe Manila MachineTravelUbe RecipesVinegar (Suka) 
« Bangus Sisig |MainMay 23, 2011Giveaway: Philippine Sea SaltEver since bringing back a stash of Ilocano Sea Salt from a trip to the Philippines a few years ago, I've been hooked on the salty Filipino crystals. I've used Philppine sea salt in everything savory--from adobos to salads--and believe it or not, in everything sweet--like cookies and ice creams.
I'm a fiend for that Filipino flake.
And although I've since exhausted that original stash of Badoc's finest, I've been lucky enough to have a network of enablers who keep my sea salt carousel spinning. Whenever a friend or family member makes a trek to the Islands, I make damn sure they bring me back a couple bags of the white stuff to replenish my home supply. And they gladly oblige.
Mules. Suckers.
Speaking of mules and suckers, my mom brought me back about 2 keys of Badoc Asin on her last trip there earlier this year. And even though I lace many a dish with Philippine sea salt, it isn't likely that I'll blow through that much shake any time soon.
But now, when I do run out of my prized salt from the South China Sea, I won't have to rely on my network of mules to go to the P.I. and back. I've now discovered a local dealer that can satisfy my salty needs.
xroads Philippine Sea Salts are purveyors of, yup, premium Philippine sea salts. xroads is a small outfit run out of Northern California, importing and selling two unique types of sea salt from the Philippines. Lucky for me, xroads was kind enough to send me some salty samples.
The first salt on offer from xroads is something they label as "Ilocano Asin", which is very similar in flavor and texture to the sea salt I've been getting from Badoc in Ilocos Norte. xroads Ilocano Asin is coarse, moist, white, and uh, salty.
The second salt xroads offers is what they label "Sugpo Asin", which literally translates to prawn salt. The Sugpo Asin are hollow crystals that are ever-so-slightly-pink due to the shrimp that live in the salt beds from which this particular salt is harvested--hence its name. I've found that the Sugpo Asin, when used as a finishing salt, remains especially crunchy even when sprinkled on wet surfaces--like a just-seared steak, or a just-sliced green mango.
I also want to note that xroads salts are all-natural, sustainable, and hand harvested from Pangasinan (the land of salt). In addition, the salts are packaged in nifty eco-friendly boxes woven from nipa palm--a familiar sight to many Pinoys.
For more information about xroads Philippine Sea Salt, visit their site here.
And if you are of the mind that there probably isn't anything special about sea salt from the Philippines, well, you're wrong. Many lar-dee-dar restaurants and ooh-lar-lar chefs use sea salt from the Philippines. In fact, Philippine sea salt is often used in the kitchen at The French Laundry.
Ooooh! Take that, you salt snobs!
UPDATE 5/26: Thanks to the kind folks at xroads, there will now be 5 boxes of Sugpo Asin available for this giveaway (instead of the original 1). So there will now be 5 people selected to each win 1 box of Sugpo Asin. Mabuhay!
And now dear readers, you can also get your Filipino salt lick on as I will be giving away FIVE (5!!!) sample boxes of xroads Sugpo Asin. The sample box xroads provides is a nipa box containing two ounces of the pink sea salt. Two ounces might not sound like a lot, but if used as a finishing salt, the Sugpo Asin will last for quite some time. And besides, you can always order more salt from xroads.
I will randomly select FIVE winners and contact them via email or Twitter Direct Message--so if you aren't already following me on twitter, you best do so now!
There are two ways to enter this giveaway:
Leave a comment on this postTweet this exact phrase and link on Twitter:"Win Gourmet Sea Salt via @BurntLumpia: Philippine Sea Salt Giveaway http://bit.ly/mBQ10f "
All comments and tweets for this post will be accepted as entry for the giveaway and this contest will end on Monday May 30, 2011 at 11:59 PM Pacific time. I'll randomly select 5 winners, the winners must reply to email or DM within 24 hours--otherwise I'll randomly select another winner. Sorry, this contest is open to U.S. residents only.
Full Disclosure: Yes, I received the salt for free from xroads, but I was under no obligation to write about them, review the products, etc. I chose to feature the salt here because I did enjoy it, and because of the connection to Filipino farmers and Filipino products. So there.
Posted by Burnt Lumpia at 10:35 PM | PermalinkReblog (0) | | TrackBackTrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341bfcac53ef0154327dcb76970c
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Giveaway: Philippine Sea Salt:
Commentsdo i get first prize as the first commenter? :P
i love Filipino salt, it's like no other. so good with Baguio peanut brittle, roasted mani, and oh way too many things!
:)
#saltdork
Posted by:Lala |May 23, 2011 at 10:43 PMI want salt...
Posted by:Dave |May 23, 2011 at 10:46 PMI've never had Filipino salt. I like Hawaiian Salt, so I would love to taste the difference.
Posted by:Alessa |May 23, 2011 at 10:52 PMi love salty on sweet things - just like salt sprinkles in choco milk, bacon in brownies, bagoong on mango. i bet this salt would be great on caramelized waffles!
Posted by:C. Antonio |May 23, 2011 at 10:55 PMGah!! I have to find where to get these sea salts here in Manila. Otherwise, I think it's time for a visit to Pangasinan...
Posted by:Tracey@Tangled Noodle |May 23, 2011 at 10:58 PMThanks for introducing me to Pinoy Salt.
Posted by:Vicky |May 23, 2011 at 11:01 PMMe!
Posted by:Vince N. |May 23, 2011 at 11:03 PMi wanna try this salt
Posted by:christiaan cruz |May 24, 2011 at 12:15 AMIt has been a very, very long time since I've had Philippine sea salt. I'd love to try it again. I remember eating salt crystals as a kid when we visited my parents' families in Pangasinan for summer vacation.
Posted by:Jane |May 24, 2011 at 12:23 AMWould love to try this salt. Thanks for doing this.
Posted by:AC Chua |May 24, 2011 at 01:29 AMI would love to try this. Sounds interesting!
Posted by:TAMMY CUEVAS |May 24, 2011 at 03:58 AMi'd love to try some!
Posted by:ron |May 24, 2011 at 04:46 AMI would love some salt!
Posted by:Elliot Acosta |May 24, 2011 at 04:48 AMI would love to try this salt!
Posted by:Kristin Fitzsimmons |May 24, 2011 at 05:04 AMThis would be fun to try
Posted by:Ladywild |May 24, 2011 at 05:08 AMWe love to cook, but the salt that we get doesn't do justice to the food. Would like to sample your salt plsssssssss.
Posted by:ACAP De Ocampo |May 24, 2011 at 05:48 AMMe please! I promise to use it to make a Filipino dish :-)
Posted by:Caroline |May 24, 2011 at 05:53 AMOur good friends are from Ilocos Norte. I would love to make a filipino dish utilizing this salt. Also, as a chef, I am obligated to sample new goods!
Posted by:Heather Neal |May 24, 2011 at 06:10 AMOo! I don't know if I've ever noticed the salt I had when I've been in the Philippines! How exciting! I hope I win :)
Also, I tweeted (@GreenestMermaid) :)
So sad that I am a metiza and have never had salt from "home." I would love to try it.
Posted by:Veronica |May 24, 2011 at 06:28 AMWould love this piece of home for my future Mother-In-Law! Great giveaway!
Posted by:Karen |May 24, 2011 at 06:35 AMOoh! I would love to try it too!
Posted by:Ladygoat |May 24, 2011 at 06:58 AMSounds great! I would love to get some so my fiance and my family could try it! :)
Posted by:Opy |May 24, 2011 at 06:59 AMMangos were on sale a few weeks ago, and I didn't have bagoong handy, so I had to settle for non-Filipino sea salt... now I wish I'd held out! Gimme some!
Posted by:arvin |May 24, 2011 at 07:33 AMWould love to try this!
Posted by:Sylvia |May 24, 2011 at 07:33 AMI'm in!
Posted by:Mari |May 24, 2011 at 07:40 AMMe too :)
Posted by:Anni |May 24, 2011 at 07:46 AMI make a Puerto Rican enhanced pancit by adding sazon. My pinoy husband would appreciate it if I used salt from his motherland. Or maybe surprised that I got a hold of some.
Posted by:Vicky (to my mother it's Beeky) |May 24, 2011 at 08:34 AMOOH! I would love to try Philippine salt. I have a huge jar of Hawai'ian salt (the closest, I guess), leftover from my time there. Also, that's where I learned Filipino food.
Posted by:Brandee Leon |May 24, 2011 at 08:59 AMi'd love to win this - i just ran of salt!
Posted by:lynn @ the actor's diet |May 24, 2011 at 09:10 AMMmm... This would go perfect over ice cream...
Posted by:Mark |May 24, 2011 at 09:13 AMI just started using fancy schmancy sea salts to finish my dishes at home - I'd love to try this!
Posted by:Angela |May 24, 2011 at 09:58 AMI didn't know Filipinos had their own salt? I mean, go figure, they have their own version of everything! And I'm sure it makes everything taste that much better, too. Like, not just fish sauce on green mango, but patis on green mango ...and you get a free pencil.
Posted by:Randi |May 24, 2011 at 10:04 AMI would love to win this so I can make my husband make me some chicken adobo.
Posted by:Stephanie M |May 24, 2011 at 10:50 AMOoh...Filipino sea salt on green mangoes-drool!!!!!!
Thanks for always featuring great Filipino products.
Posted by:Reez |May 24, 2011 at 11:04 AMI'm in. So glad to have found your blog! I've also been trying to reconnect with my Filipino heritage through food. It's nice to have an example to follow. :)
Posted by:seeks |May 24, 2011 at 12:04 PMooh would love to try this!
Posted by:shannon p |May 24, 2011 at 12:16 PMwould love to cook with this salt!
Posted by:The Minty |May 24, 2011 at 12:28 PMDefinitely would like to try! Sign me up!
Posted by:Chelsie Q |May 24, 2011 at 02:17 PMI'm an Australian expat in the USA who just received a new box of Murray River pink salt flakes from my mother in Australia today! I'm all about salt and would love to try Philippine sea salt.
Posted by:Elissa |May 24, 2011 at 05:27 PMI would love to try this!
Posted by:NJ Julie |May 24, 2011 at 05:42 PMI agree that our salts rock! I've also lugged a kilo of sea salt from Ilocos (though not as long, nor as far a "lug" than yours). It's gone now but I also have a good source here in Manila where I get both Ilocano and Pangasinan salt :) So glad you are having this contest and spreading the love for our salts :)
Posted by:joey |May 24, 2011 at 05:59 PMOh, pick me! I'd like to try it!
Posted by:Laura |May 24, 2011 at 06:29 PMI've been working on reconnecting with my Pinoy heritage. What better way than with salt! :)
Posted by:Ari K. |May 24, 2011 at 06:39 PMI love the description of the salt, and would love to try it on our fresh vegetables from our garden. I had no idea there were so many different variates of salt. What an eye opener at my age; way over the hill!!
Posted by:BettyC |May 24, 2011 at 07:10 PMI love this company, blogged about them too (a year or two ago). I'd love to try their salt!
Posted by:Catherine |May 24, 2011 at 07:31 PMI want to win this salt. It might make my Filipino dishes taste more authentic.
Posted by:Pinoy Panda |May 24, 2011 at 08:20 PMI love finishing salts, specially in desserts and ice cream!
Posted by:Nelly Rodriguez |May 24, 2011 at 08:21 PMI tweeted this! (nella22)
Posted by:Nelly Rodriguez |May 24, 2011 at 08:23 PMVery intrigued by sea salt, would love to try it!
Posted by:MIss |May 24, 2011 at 08:31 PMOoh! Ooh! Pick me! Pick me! (Asin I really wanna win!)
Posted by:jean |May 25, 2011 at 12:32 AMMy father in law is from Illocos Norte, I think this sea salt would really enhance the recipes he's handed down to me.
Posted by:Kelly |May 25, 2011 at 12:51 AMI have a bag of Hawaiian sea salt from Trader Joe's that has a similar non-melty(yes, that is the technical term) crunch to the one you described. I've had it for a while, since I only use it as a finishing salt, as well. I'll bet your pink stuff tastes better, if only for the fact that it's made at home.
Posted by:charmaine |May 25, 2011 at 03:51 AMI would love to try this salt. My dad is from Pangasinan and I visited there a few years ago.
Posted by:Flora |May 25, 2011 at 06:35 AMOh my, I so want this ;D
Posted by:Joy |May 25, 2011 at 08:55 AMwould love so try some new salt!
Posted by:Serena Kim |May 25, 2011 at 11:41 AMSalt? I love salt! I'd love some free salt!
Posted by:Amanda |May 25, 2011 at 02:22 PMI would commit 'a-sin' to get this salt.
Posted by:Vange |May 25, 2011 at 09:05 PMSalt is so much fun to experiment with! There are endless varieties!
Posted by:Joanna |May 25, 2011 at 09:15 PMThis sounds awesome!!
Posted by:kristel |May 25, 2011 at 09:53 PMI am a fan of salty food. I would love to try the philippine sea salt. I am already cooking up ideas.
Posted by:Krissy |May 26, 2011 at 09:07 AMI have at least fifteen gourmet topping salts in my kitchen... but nothing from the Philippines... YET.
Posted by:MyLastBite |May 26, 2011 at 11:16 AMRub a dub dub this salt is NOT for the tub its for my beef, chicken or fish. Do I get to keep the dish?
Posted by:duggyt |May 26, 2011 at 11:35 AMwould love to try and compare it to pink himalayan salt!
Posted by:sfj |May 26, 2011 at 02:36 PMEven if I'm not drawn for this - I'm trying this stuff. It sounds like some pretty serious crack. lol
Posted by:Nikki |May 26, 2011 at 03:47 PM Verify your Comment Previewing your CommentPosted by: |This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.
\ABS\Auto Blog Samurai\data\Best Asian Food Blogs\Burnt Lumpia\spinner.gif)
Your comment could not be posted. Error type: Your comment has been posted. Post another comment The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again. As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.
Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate.
Your Information
(Name is required. Email address will not be displayed with the comment.)
Name is required to post a comment
Please enter a valid email address
Invalid URL
Twitter Updatesnew TWTR.Widget({ version: 2, type: 'profile', rpp: 4, interval: 6000, width: 'auto', height: 300, theme: { shell: { background: '#8a8888', color: '#030003' }, tweets: { background: '#ffffff', color: '#000000', links: '#0039f5' } }, features: { scrollbar: true, loop: false, live: false, hashtags: true, timestamp: true, avatars: false, behavior: 'all' }}).render().setUser('BurntLumpia').start();Legion of DoomBurnt Lumpia on FacebookSearch WWW
Burnt Lumpia
ArchivesMay 2011April 2011February 2011January 2011December 2010November 2010October 2010August 2010June 2010May 2010More...No BitersCreative Commons License
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 LicenseBlog powered by TypePad document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js'%3E%3C/script%3E"));COMSCORE.beacon({ c1: 2, c2: "6035669", c3: "", c4: "http://burntlumpia.typepad.com/burnt_lumpia/2011/05/philippine-sea-salt-giveaway.html", c5: "", c6: "", c15: ""});
No comments:
Post a Comment