FANCY HANKS: Chicken Salt Seasoning – 90g

Regular salt or chicken salt?

There is only one right answer and every Australian knows it. Fancy Hank's version is the restaurant recipe — the one that goes on their fries — and it settles the argument about whether the good stuff at the chipper can be bought in a shaker. It can. Doesn't matter whether you call it a potato cake, a scallop or a fritter.

The flavour

Salt and yeast extract lead together, which is the whole secret — that deep, savoury, moreish hit that plain salt can't touch. Spice and vegetable powder build a mellow, faintly sweet body behind it, and rice flour keeps everything loose and free-running. It finishes savoury and lingering, and it's the reason the chip bowl empties faster.

How to cook with it

• Hit hot chips the second they leave the oil, while the surface is still wet enough to grab it.
• Rub it under the skin of a whole chicken before roasting, not just over the top.
• Toss halved roast potatoes through it in the tray for the last ten minutes.
• Shake it over hot buttered popcorn and accept that the night is now about popcorn.
• Season charred broccoli with it — the umami turns a side dish into the thing people talk about.

In the shaker

Pale sandy yellow, fine and free-running. It shakes evenly rather than clumping, so you get coverage instead of hot spots.

Ingredients & Dietary

Ingredients: Salt, Spice, Rice Flour, Vegetable Powder, Yeast Extract, Canola Oil.

Dietary: Vegan. Preservative free. No gluten. May contain traces of sesame, mustard, celery and soy. Always check the physical label.

The Rub Smuggler's Verdict

This is the recipe off the restaurant fries, which means somebody in that kitchen finally stopped guarding it. Crumb the thighs in Atomic Chicken Southern Fried Coating, fry them, and shake this on the instant they hit the rack — wet surface or it slides straight off. A spoon of Uncle Mungo's Crispy Chilli Oil on the side finishes the job.

Questions answered

How hot is it?
Not at all — there's no chilli in it. On Hub Heat it rates 0/11 — Cool As.

Is there chicken in chicken salt?
No. It's a savoury seasoning salt — the brand lists this one as vegan. The name describes what it goes on, not what's in it.

Is it the same as the restaurant's?
Yes. It's the recipe Fancy Hank's use on their fries.

Is it gluten free?
The brand lists it as no gluten, with possible traces of sesame, mustard, celery and soy. Always check the physical label.

When do I put it on chips?
Immediately out of the oil, while they're still glossy. Wait and it won't stick.

What else is it good on?
Roast chicken, potatoes, popcorn and charred greens.