How To Achieve A Flawless Flavor Balance When Making Sea Salt Ice Cream

Sea salt ice cream is, unsurprisingly, all about the salt and getting the ratio of sodium to cream just right. If you aren't a gamer, you may not even know that this treat is a thing. But sea salt ice cream is real, and the story of its rise begins with "Kingdom Hearts II," an action role-playing video game that came out in 2005. The director, Tetsuya Nomura, is said to have eaten this ice cream at Disneyland Resort in Tokyo and liked it so much that he decided to add it to his game. Though he might not be the original creator of this treat (their identity is not known), he definitely helped popularize the combination.

In the game, the sea salt ice cream has a sky blue hue and is frozen on a stick. Of course, someone decided this dessert needed to make the jump from the imaginary world to reality, and if you've never tried it, you should. While this may seem like a basic vanilla ice cream, the addition of the salt enhances the taste, creating a delicious balance of sweet and salty and giving your tongue subtle notes of caramel you never knew you wanted to experience. The trick is not to add too little or too much salt, but there are a couple of factors that will influence this — namely the type of salt you use. 

Salt comes in different shapes, sizes, and colors, and these qualities are going to determine how salty your ice cream turns out. A fine sea salt can be the most hazardous to work with because it can also be the saltiest. You should start with ¼ teaspoon. If that's not giving your taste buds the vibe you're hoping for, add a little more, working your way up to 1 teaspoon.

If you use a sea salt with a coarser texture (like Ina Garten's favorite, Diamond Crystal sea salt), you can start with 1 teaspoon and add more as needed. You want to be able to taste what the salt does to this custard-like ice cream, which uses eggs to achieve a velvety-smooth texture and creamier flavor. But remember: While it is called sea salt ice cream, you don't want an overwhelming taste of salt. And don't stress about finding the healthiest option — it doesn't exist. Use what you like.

If you accidentally add too much salt, you can add a little vanilla extract to your treat. You may even choose to steep a vanilla bean pod with the milk and eggs to create a base flavor that will really pop with the addition of sea salt. Serve it with fruit at a backyard summer party, add it to your line-up of ice cream for sundaes, or use it to top your next brownie or fruit pie.