Trader Joe’s is known not only to hop on food trends, but they actually tend to start a lot of their own. This can easily be seen with the success of Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel Seasoning. It’s very well-known that Trader Joe’s sells an eclectic selection of products, including seasonings and much more.
With black salt being such a fascinating spice, one might jaunt to their local Trader Joe’s to search for it. While Trader Joe’s doesn’t usually sell black salt, they do have a collection of 7 salts that they sell that features black salt. Black salt is also not always labeled as such, so it could take some searching to determine whether Trader Joe’s has any in stock.
There are a few spices you can use in place of black salt if you have trouble finding it in store. That said, black salts have such distinct flavor profiles that it’s worth trying at least once if you can find it.
Understanding Black Salt
Black salt is touted as a delicious flavor enhancer that is often featured in Indian dishes. It’s been used in a few cultures as a natural medicine as well. Despite its name, black salt isn’t usually black. When salt is in rock form, it does appear to have some black elements. Once it’s ground up, however, it’s typically brown with a hint of pink.
There are some varieties of black salt as well, each of them with their own distinct tastes. Black lava salt, for instance, adds an element of smoke to dishes.
Black salt is also known to add umami to a dish, which is especially useful if you eat alternative meat or egg products but don’t want to miss out on any rich flavor in your cooking.
There are also some forms of black salt that, while they have uses, they are not meant to be eaten. Some cultures have used black salt in rituals; typically inedible forms have been used for this purpose.
Forms of black salt that are edible usually have less sodium and added chemicals than some other salts, though they are often mixed with charcoal and other flavor enhancers.
Black salt has been used in natural medicine or alternative therapies based on the many health benefits they are purported to have.
For example, it’s believed that due to their mineral makeup, they can aid in healthy hair and skin development as well as overall general good health. However, black salt hasn’t been researched enough to know whether health claims are true.
To check the current price and availability of Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt, click here to view the listing on Amazon.
Trader Joe’s Product Range
Browsing through the aisles of your local Trader Joe’s, you’re bound to find a range of seasonings, spices and spice blends that you haven’t seen anywhere else.
Trader Joe’s also sells a mixture of healthy and indulgent food items, pantry staples, snacks, produce, and meat and seafood. The variety and constantly evolving options are two of the many reasons Trader Joe’s is so beloved.
Trader Joe’s has an aisle where all of their seasonings and spices are arranged together. If black salt is available at Trader Joe’s, that would likely be where you would find it. Outside of your basic spices used in everyday cooking, you’ll also be able to find special blends that can be used to kick your cooking up a notch.
Those familiar with Trader Joe’s know that each location offers something a bit different to their customers, and they often stock based on the community they are located in and what they can source locally.
Researching Trader Joe’s Black Salt Availability
It’s unclear whether Trader Joe’s has ever manufactured or sold black salt as its own product, which likely means that they haven’t yet.
However, Trader Joe’s has released a collection of salts called 7 Salts of the Earth. Amongst the range of salts, there is a Hawaiian Black Lava salt. Additionally, the collection includes Himalayan pink salt, smoked salt, and red salt.
This particular collection of salts comes with a decent portion of each type of salt. Since black salt does pack quite a punch of flavor, you won’t need to use a lot of it, so this collection should last you some time. It’s a versatile collection of salts that can transform the way you cook.
There are a few different ways to find out for sure what products your Trader Joe’s sells. You can search on their website by selecting your store, but you might not always get accurate information.
You can also call or ask a staff member at the store to help you search. Additionally, a lot of online forums are dedicated to following updates on popular Trader Joe’s items.
Alternative Salts and Substitutes
Since not all black salt is actually black in color, you might walk right by a form of black salt without even realizing it.
Furthermore, a lot of black salt will be sold under a different name or will be labeled as a variety of black salt. Some examples of names you might find black salt sold under include volcanic rock salt, Himalayan rock salt, or Saindhava Lavanam.
While you won’t achieve the exact same flavor profile, Himalayan pink salt can work as a great alternative. Additionally, if you are looking to create some Indian dishes that typically feature black salt, some Chaat masala can help you get some good flavor in your dishes. Red salt and kosher salt may also work with some dishes.
Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, Trader Joe’s isn’t known to manufacture or outsource black salt to put on their shelves outside of their collection of 7 salts. If you are not able to find this collection, be sure to read the labels in their spice aisle correctly.
Since Trader Joe’s changes their product selection so often, you might find black salt in a blend or under a different label name.
There are a plethora of ways to find out what your local Trader Joe’s has in stock. Contacting someone at the store directly is your best bet to find out what’s currently sold in stores as well as what you can expect to come.