Is ‘fine’ seasalt out of fashion?
Today, we bicycled to 4 different supermarkets, in search of “fine” seasalt. Aurora is the brand we prefer and until now, we have never had a problem getting it.
Suddenly, it appears that the only seasalt available is “coarse”. There were boxes and boxes of coarse seasalt on various shelves!
Why is this? Is there something dangerous or wrong with “fine” seasalt? Or is it just our neighbourhood?
Perhaps somebody did a demographic study and decided that we don’t want fine seasalt.
Why oh why do they make these decisions for us?! 
edit 18 April 2010: When we were looking for rennet, we finally found Aurora fine seasalt (iodized AND non-iodized) at a supermarket in Italytown. The non-iodized salt is just seasalt – nothing else. Our local supermarket STILL doesn’t have Aurora fine seasalt on the shelves.
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My guess is that fine sea salt clumps, and thus would require an anti-caking agent, but people who would buy more expensive “sea” salt would not want an anticaking agent. Look at Baliene. Their coarse salt has no additives, but their fine salt has some E3## additive. I think I looked it up and it was some sort of aluminum something silicate, or some anticaking agent.
You have to ask yourself what is the thing about buying overseas sea salt–especially Himalayan sea salt–that’s a lot of salt-miles. I would like to find a local source of mined salt. I live in the mid-Atlantic, and I know there are salt mines in upstate New York. I think an enterprising company would brand their salt with the source and explain how and why it is gentl refined to remove excess magnesium, or whatever, and market it as a locally sourced salt to the Eastern US. They should also list the analysis of the salt showing the mineral profile–sort of like mineral water.
Get a salt grinder…. Of course they get all gummed up from the damp salt, but they can be cleaned. I won’t bore you with all the salt options I had in the Vendee – but I will tell you I miss them here in the Lot et Garonne. (Salt was a big local product in the Vendee – foolishly I thought the choices would be available all over France – can’t even get a proper salt cellar here)
The fine seasalt that IS available at our local supermarket has zero additives, aed. I don’t think that the Aurora fine seasalt has any additives either (it is allegedly on order and will be on the supermarket shelves soon). We’ve always stuck a few rice kernels into the salt shaker to keep the salt running freely.
While we’re waiting for the Aurora fine seasalt to appear, we’re using fine Kosher salt. With rice kernels to keep it running freely.
I thought of getting a salt grinder, Katie, and even suggested it. But it has been nixed. Apparently someone doesn’t want to be bothered with having to grind grind grind coarse salt. (I don’t think I’d be bored with hearing all the salt options. Envious though…).
-Elizabeth