I love to buy a particular brand of salted almonds when I'm in France but I have not seen them elsewhere on my travels. To get over this geographic hurdle I have taken to making my own and although they are not quite the same thing, they do come pretty close to it! You only need a couple of hundred grams of whole blanched almonds (available in packets from most supermarkets), about 5 tablespoons of olive oil and salt to taste.
Fresh almonds, blanched in boiling water and thoroughly dried would be the ideal way to go but finding them is also a geographic nightmare for most people. Pre-packaged almonds in their skins from the supermarket must be blanched, peeled and dried too before cooking.
Heat the oil in a small, heavy based frying pan and add the blanched almonds. Gently cook until lightly browned all over. Try not to burn them. Turn out, using a slotted spoon, place on kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.
Spread a piece of baking paper/greaseproof paper on the bench, liberally sprinkle with salt and toss the warm almonds on top. Roll the almonds around in the paper until well coated and serve immediately. Any leftovers can be stored in a screw-top jar for later use.
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