If you haven’t seen the show Salt Fat Acid Heat on Netflix yet, run now. It’s a four episode series, each featuring on one element in a different part of the world, that will change the way you think about cooking. Chef and food writer Samin Nosrat is hilariously infectious and takes her time diving into the four most important elements of cooking. I’m here to round up some incredible Salt Fat Acid Heat recipes as well as cooking tips. My favorite part of the show was when Samin’s mom went over to her house to cook some Persian food and they made tahdig, which is crispy rice. My boyfriend is half Persian and we make tah-dig all the time (recipe coming soon). Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
If you want to buy Samin’s cookbook, which I definitely did, you can do so here.
SALT
Salt just makes EVERYTHING better. This will sound dumb, but that statement really hit me when one of my college teammates told me to put salt on my watermelon and pineapple and I was shocked at how freaking good it tasted. Now as an adult and someone who cooks pretty regularly, I understand the importance even more. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Episode Location: Japan
Favorite Recipe: Soy-Braised Short Ribs
While I couldn’t find a high quality photo from Samin, Eat.Drink.Frolic does and photographs this exact recipe INSANELY well. Check it out below and check out her blog!
Favorite Tip: Taste your water while you’re adding salt when boiling pasta, rice, veggies, etc. Nosrat says, “Often when there’s water involved, it’s about having a salty enough environment so that in the short time that the food spends in the pot, it will become seasoned from within. The less time a food spends in a pot of salted water, the saltier the water should be. The only way to know how much to use is to taste your way there.”
FAT
Mmmm fat, we hate to love it but we love it right? This episode was shot in Italy (my homeland, hiiii), and watching an older woman that reminded me of my grandmother make pesto from scratch just warmed my heart.
Episode Location: Italy
Favorite Recipe: Benedetta’s Ragú
I was in between the ragú and the focaccia, but ultimately pasta runs in my blood and I wanted to go with the ragú recipe. Laura Danielle tried this recipe and loved it. Check out her video here!
Favorite Tip (about making pasta): “It’s really just flour and eggs to make handmade pasta, and the eggs give the richness, the incredible fat…Everybody thinks making pasta is so difficult. It’s not difficult. It’s just about going slowly and using the senses.”
ACID
Acid has so many different uses and comes in so many different forms! Samin speaks to the form we know best – citrus – but also other foods to create acid such as cheese, coffee, wine, bananas, and many more.
Episode Location: Mexico
Favorite Recipe: Pavo en Escabeche
My favorite from the show was the Tikin Xic, which is achiote rubbed fish, but that recipe is “coming soon” on Salt Fat Acid Heat recipes website. Instead, let’s go with the Pavo en Escabeche, which is essentially a turkey and meatball stew. Instead of turkey in the oven, should we make this for Thanksgiving from now on?! This picture below is from Serious Eats so you KNOW it’s good.
Favorite Tip: “Another way to use acid is as a garnish to add brightness. A simple squeeze of lime over pho cuts through the beefy broth. A crumble of goat cheese gives a needed tang to any salad. And a splash of white wine added just before serving balances the starchy richness of a risotto.”
HEAT
When we say heat, we’re talking about temperature, not spice, levels. I loved this episode because I feel like this is the area I struggle with the most.
Episode Location: California
Favorite Recipe: Tahdig! Duh!
Shocker, I chose Persian crispy rice as my favorite recipe. We make this at home and it’s sooooooo good. Speaking of Persian food, Samin shares her 10 Essential Persian Recipes.
Favorite Tip: When roasting vegetables, “a lot of times people just drizzle oil on top, but you want the oil between the food and the pan, and that’s how you get that crisp bottom edge.” You can try this technique on one of these Incredible One Sheet Pan Recipes.
I hope these Salt Fat Acid Heat recipes inspired you. I am so curious to know if any of you have watched the show. Let me know in the comments what your favorite episode or recipe was! Until next time friends!
