Just found some random fine-cut void salts in a chest somewhere, when i picked it up it told me to bring it to a named npc... how is my character supposed to know who to give these too?

you cannot eat quest items

Haha, it's the boat captain in dawnstar.

Edit- You tried to eat it?...I do that with every alchemy ingredient...

If you empty the bowl and look at the bottom... "If found, please return to ______."

Same thing happened to me during "Repairing the Phial" when I tried to eat a briar heart.

By the way, those void salts go to Captain Wayfinder in Dawnstar (quest: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Salty_Sea-Dogs).

Also, you may not be able to remove them from your inventory now and/or complete the miscellaneous quest in your journal due to a bug:

If you find a sample of Fine-Cut Void Salts prior to obtaining the quest, it will automatically put the quest in your Miscellaneous log. Though if you go speak to Captain Wayfinder and pick any topic other than, "I have the Fine-Cut Void Salts", he will finish his dialogue and then never speak to you again, making it impossible to finish the quest. - [Source: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Salty_Sea-Dogs#Bugs]

oh dear... this is why i dont pick up things i don't know about... wish me luck, i'd hate to revert.

Ye'h... The question is almost always strange... Only time it isn't is when I find Meridia's Beacon in Bleak Falls Barrows.

That is strange. It's like your character has instant psychic knowledge of what certain items are, and to whom they belong to. When, logically, they should not even know anything about that!

I blame Dovahkiin magic.