Sel de Camargue / Fleur de sel de Camargue

Two marine salts harvested by natural evaporation of seawater in the Camargue, France, crystallising under sunlight and wind. Both contain more than 97 % NaCl in dry matter and are white owing to a very low insoluble content. Sel de Camargue is produced in four forms; Fleur de sel de Camargue is collected from the surface of the brine in summer.

About this designation

Sel de Camargue and Fleur de sel de Camargue are registered as a PGI under file number PGI-FR-02443, with EU protection dating from 5 December 2018 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000016646). The geographical area covers three municipalities in the department of Gard — Aigues-Mortes, Le-Grau-du-Roi and Saint-Laurent-d'Aigouze — and one municipality in the department of Bouches du Rhône: Les-Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. The salt pan within this area covers 8 500 ha of a total geographical area of 18 000 ha. Production steps that must take place within the defined area include pumping at sea, circulating water in the evaporating basins, supplying the crystallisers, harvesting, and primary storage in salt piles or bulk bags. No treatment other than drying is permitted for either product. Sel de Camargue is produced in four forms — fine, coarse, drained coarse, and crude — each defined by grain size, insolubles content, and moisture content. Fleur de sel de Camargue must have a grain size of 5 mm or less, an insolubles content of 600 ppm or less, an absence of extraneous matter larger than 3 mm, a moisture content less than 4 %, and a bulk untapped salt density of 0.90 or less. The white colour of both products results from the sandy soils of the crystallisers and the frequent renewal of the seawater circulating over them.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PGI on 5 December 2018 under file number PGI-FR-02443 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000016646).
• Both salts must contain more than 97 % NaCl in dry matter; no treatment other than drying is permitted.
• The production area covers four municipalities across two departments: Gard and Bouches du Rhône, with a salt pan of 8 500 ha.
• Fleur de sel de Camargue is produced in summer when wind ceases and salt crystals form on the brine surface; the Mistral then drives them to the edge of the crystallisers.

HoReCa use

The source records that since 1753 the Roquefort cheese cellars have used Sel de Camargue for salting, and that since 1995 restaurateurs have highlighted the value of both Sel de Camargue and Fleur de sel de Camargue in cuisine.