This paper explores the role of salt in the diet of French transatlantic fishing crews in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Salt was an essential element for the preservation of food on board ship during long voyages, yet salt remains are a fragile archaeological material. I use the historical example of the Bay of Bourgneuf to introduce the French salt trade context of the time and then explore the production, export, and loading of salt in the kingdom of France. The Royal Ordinance of the French Navy (1689) was the first official regulation of salt on board French vessels. The administrative records of the French Navy provides evidence of how salt and salted products were packaged and placed within the ship. To fill the archaeological gap, I delve into the public archaeological collections of the French maritime to explore the material markers of this soluble substance—salted foods as well as packaging and serving objects. Based on the material archaeological data and the written and iconographic data, I illustrate the use of this “white gold” in the diets of French offshore crews in the early modern period.