Seasoning from the sea

"Some people like to paint pictures, or do gardening, or build a boat in the basement. Other people get a tremendous pleasure out of the kitchen, because cooking is just as creative and imaginative an activity as drawing, or wood carving, or music." ~ Julia Child ~

Recessionary times often bring out the best in entrepreneurial spirit, and such is the case with a culinary product that was an idea just waiting to happen - Acquamara.

Recently launched at the Taste of Edinburgh Festival, Acquamara is bottled seawater sold in three-liter containers and priced at £4.95, which is roughly $7.87 US.

The product is geared not only for professional chefs but for home use.

By now, I know what you are probably thinking: “Why would anyone buy salt water when you can easily make your own?” Excellent question.

Cooking with seawater has been practiced for centuries. Even some contemporary chefs, such as Rick Stein, who is also multiple-location restaurateur and television presenter, has discussed cooking with seawater in the excerpt below from one of his shows.



The main difference between cooking with any old seawater and Acquamara boils down (so to speak) to this: source and refinement. And goodness knows we are all keenly aware of water pollution these days.

Acquamara is sourced from the cleanest area of the Atlantic Ocean, off the tiny island of Berneray, which is part of Scotland’s Outer Hebrides.

It is then filtered, removing any remaining particulates including sand, rust or dirt, and is bottled certified safe under EC drinking water standards.

The idea for Acquamara was the brainchild of 49-year old Andy Inglis, a clever entrepreneurial Scotsman who hails from Dunbar, East Lothian.

Inglis had been mulling over the thought for a couple of years but was pushed into action after helping his daughter with a school project that included historical recipes, which required cooking with seawater.

Taking his inspiration to the next development stage, Inglis began doing extensive market research with a prototype, seeking out opinions from some of the top chefs in the United Kingdom.

According to those top chefs, Acquamara was a winner that provides an exceptional taste to a wide variety of recipes. It’s also a nifty way of using less salt in preparation or for flavor enhancement.

Acquamara’s website offers some recipes and a seasoning guide along with endorsements from those top chefs. Hey, if it’s good enough for them…

I just wish I had thought of it first.