Salt-Free Seasoning Made Easy

Have you had much luck in getting your loved ones (not to mention yourself) to put down the saltshaker? I haven’t, even though my husband has high blood pressure and his doctor wants him to cut back on sodium. It seems crazy, but my husband is more bothered by the taste of bland, boring food than by the increased threat of a heart attack or stroke.

He’s not alone, of course. More than half of Americans age 60 and older have hypertension. If you or someone you cook for is among them, you may have tried to fool the taste buds with a commercial salt substitute but found the flavor too bitter.

Well, take heart. Nutrition researcher Judith Wylie-Rosett, EdD, RD, whose book The Complete Weight Loss Workbook includes many health-promoting recipes, suggested some much better ways to put zing into low-salt foods. To get started…

• It can take a lot of seasoning to make up for the missing salt — so when you drop salt from a recipe, try doubling one or more of the other seasonings the recipe calls for.

• For maximum flavor from herbs and spices, opt for fresh rather than dried.

• Choose herb-infused oils and vinegars instead of unflavored ones.

• Beef. For seasoning that stands up to red meat’s strong flavor, marinate beef for two to three hours in pineapple juice or orange juice mixed with balsamic vinegar, red wine, diced onions and/or chopped garlic.

• Chicken. For delicate-flavored lemon chicken, add chopped tarragon, which is subtly bittersweet and minty. Robust chicken Parmesan needs more aggressive seasonings, such as fennel, basil, rosemary, garlic and/or oregano. For stews, add a bay leaf (remove before eating) plus mustard, marjoram and freshly ground black pepper… or use strong spices, such as cumin, turmeric and/or ginger.

• Fish. Complement mild-flavored white fish with the tangy taste of yogurt. Mix plain low-fat or nonfat yogurt with dill, ginger, mustard and garlic, then add one tablespoon of mayonnaise per cup of yogurt to keep the yogurt from separating. Use this as a marinade… or serve with the fish as a sauce. Fatty fish (mackerel, bluefish) have a strong flavor that blends well with the hearty taste of curry, lemon pepper and garlic.

• Pasta. Instead of salting the cooking water, keep pasta from sticking by using extra cooking water and a splash of flavored olive oil. Drain pasta one minute earlier than you normally would, return it to the pot, stir in whatever sauce you’re going to use and cook them together for that final minute — so the pasta absorbs more flavor from the sauce.

• Soups. For delicate-flavored soups, such as chicken soup, use chopped sage, parsley and thyme to enhance but not overwhelm the flavor. To give zest to hearty-tasting soups, add a splash of balsamic vinegar and/or wine when the soup is almost done.

• Vegetables. Stir together two or more types of cooked veggies before serving — they taste more interesting that way than alone — and boost flavor with a generous amount of fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Simmer root vegetables in reduced-fat coconut milk mixed with curry. Dress salads with herb-infused olive or sunflower oil… champagne vinegar or vinegar made from sweeter fruits (pears, figs, raspberries)… and some flat-leaf parsley, chervil or tarragon.

Salt? Who needs it?