Discover the Camargue, in the heart of the salt flats!

A few days ago, I rediscovered the Camargue, in France—and more specifically, the town of Aigues-Mortes— where I was invited by La Baleine, the salt brand from my childhood, to tour the salt flats, explore the region, and learn more about the production of fleur de sel. And I must say that I was captivated by the beauty of this region.

The landscape is wild; you see flamingos everywhere, along with the famous Camargue horses. And above all, there are the salt flats with their pink -colored water that contrasts sharply with the blue of the sky. Honestly, it’s a one-of-a-kind landscape that I recommend everyone see at least once in their lifetime. So let me tell you what to expect if you, too, ever feel like visiting—or revisiting—this region one day.

In partnership with La Baleine and Le Saunier de Camargue, who invited me to discover their region and their savoir-faire. As always, all opinions and enthusiasm are my own!

A Land Born of Water and Salt

The Camargue is located in the Rhône Delta, where the river splits into two branches before flowing into the Mediterranean Sea, between Marseille and Montpellier. The largest city is Arles.

Between the two branches of the river, the region is fairly flat and, above all, full of ponds and marshes. This makes it very humid, and as a result, many species of flora and fauna have thrived there that are found nowhere else. In fact, the famous Camargue rice is grown there, as the conditions are ideal.

As for wildlife, the Camargue is famous for its pink flamingos (it’s the only place in France where they nest, and you’ll find that their presence is closely tied to the salt flats!), but there are also plenty of other bird species that love this region and use it as a stopover during migration, not to mention the gray-and-white horses and the black bulls tended by the gardians, the region’s traditional cowboys.

As for the flora, there’s an abundance of glasswort—also known as sea beans—in the Camargue: I tasted some while I was there, it’s very salty, and it’s widely used in French cooking to accompany seafood and fish. There’s also a beautiful plant called saladelle—it’s sort of like the Camargue’s version of lavender. In short, it’s a beautiful region for nature lovers.

Salt Since Ancient Times

In Aigues-Mortes, where I spent a few days and where you can see the salt flats, salt has been harvested since ancient times. It was the Romans who organized the production. In fact, the town’s name, Aigues-Mortes, comes from Aquae Mortuae, meaning “dead waters,” a reference to the marshes surrounding the village.

Back then, salt was much more than just a seasoning for food: it was really the only way to preserve food, and therefore so valuable that it was traded like gold. Today, Aigues-Mortes is the largest salt flat in the Mediterranean and the leading sea salt production site in France. To give you an idea: it covers 8,000 hectares — roughly the same area as the city of Paris within its limits. And beyond that, it’s a truly gorgeous little fortified town, with lovely streets to stroll through in the summer.

How Is Sea Salt Made?

That’s where it gets interesting. In fact, the principle behind sea salt production is as old as time and quite simple: all you have to do is let the naturally salty seawater evaporate and harvest the salt that remains. To do this, the Romans had already begun digging ponds around Aigues-Mortes to collect seawater, channeling it from one pond to the next. These were shallow, wide basins, so that the sun’s heat would gradually evaporate the water, leaving only the salt behind.

A salt farmer is the person in charge of managing these ponds and harvesting the salt: he’s sort of like a “farmer of the sea.” His job is to monitor the weather, measure the salt content, and circulate the water from one pond to another.

And just like in traditional agriculture, there are seasons and harvest periods. In the spring, water from the Mediterranean is channeled into the vast network of basins. Then, through the action of the sun and wind, the water slowly evaporates, becoming increasingly concentrated in salt.

At the end of its journey, in what are known as the salt pans, the water is so saturated that the salt eventually crystallizes at the bottom, forming a layer several centimeters thick. And that’s where the salt is harvested, in the middle of summer. If you visit the Aigues-Mortes salt flats at La Baleine, you’ll have the chance to walk on the salt pans: it feels just like walking on a lake covered in snow!

Once harvested, the salt is piled into huge white mounds called “camelles.” They’re essentially mountains of salt that can reach heights of 15 to 20 meters! The salt dries like this for nearly a year, out in the open, before being packaged and sold. And these “camelles” are now a part of the region’s landscape: they’re truly impressive to see.

And What About Fleur de Sel In All This?

Ah, fleur de sel…it’s sort of the caviar of the sea, as they call it in the region. Unlike coarse salt, which settles at the bottom, fleur de sel forms on the surface of the water as a thin layer of delicate crystals, like lace. But it only forms under perfect conditions: it needs plenty of heat, sunshine, and just the right amount of wind—the mistral, the strong, dry wind that sweeps across the region. If there’s too much wind, it sinks; and if there isn’t enough sun, it doesn’t form.

Fleur de sel is harvested entirely by hand, from the surface of the water, and only in the summer. I had the chance to try it myself: all you need is a scoop and a steady hand. Honestly, seeing the human labor behind the production of fleur de sel is fascinating to me. Especially since the production process itself is relatively simple.

But then, where does the water’s bright pink color come from? Actually, a tiny algae called Dunaliella salina lives in the very salty water of the ponds. To protect itself from the salt and the sun, it produces a reddish-orange pigment—the same one found in carrots—which eventually turns the entire body of water pink. Then, these algae are eaten by tiny shrimp, which are in turn eaten by the flamingos, giving them their pink color. Because when they’re born, flamingos are gray. In short, I find it fascinating just how much salt production in the Camargue impacts—and is essential to—an entire ecosystem!

How to Choose the Right Salt in the Kitchen

While I was there, I also had the chance to take a cooking class to learn how to properly use different types of salt. So, here’s what I learned:

• Coarse salt: Use this mainly for pasta water, slow-simmering sauces (so the salt has enough time to dissolve completely), and broils or stocks. It’s also the go-to salt for cooking food in a salt crust like fish or potatoes.
• Fine salt: This is your everyday salt for seasoning dishes. You can definitely cook with this one.
• Fleur de sel: This is the finishing salt you add right at the end to top off a dish—for example, on grilled meat or vegetables. I also put it in my homemade butter, my herb crackers, or even in my chocolate mousse to bring out the flavor of the chocolate. It gives you that delicate, crunchy bite. You should never cook with it! Well, it’s not the end of the world if you do, but since it’s more expensive and delicate, it would be a waste.

Find more recipe ideas featuring fleur de sel here.

So, Do You Want To Go?

There you go—now you know everything! That visit really left an impression on me: I’ll never look at my fleur de sel the same way again when I sprinkle it on a dish.

If you’re in the area during your next vacation, I recommend visiting the salt flats of Aigues-Mortes: with the pink landscape, the flamingos, and the salt workers’ expertise, it’s a getaway I’d recommend in a heartbeat!