Old Bay Seasoning
Also known as: Old Bay
A spice blend built around celery salt, paprika, and a mix of warm spices, originally made for seasoning crab and shrimp; the signature seasoning of Chesapeake Bay-style seafood, also good on corn, fries, and eggs. Because it already contains salt, it seasons and salts a dish at the same time.
Buying guidance
Because celery salt makes up a large part of the blend, taste before adding table salt separately -- it's easy to over-salt a dish by treating Old Bay as a salt-free spice mix.
Substitutions
- Any Chesapeake-style or generic seafood seasoning blend -- close in character, though the exact spice balance varies by brand.
- Homemade blend of celery salt, paprika, black pepper, cayenne, and a pinch of clove or allspice -- approximates the flavor without the specific brand.
- Paprika plus a pinch of cayenne and celery salt -- a bare-bones stand-in if nothing else is on hand; won't have the same complexity.
Tips & common mistakes
Its paprika component scorches and turns bitter under prolonged high, dry heat, so for a long stint under a broiler or on a hot grill, add it partway through rather than at the very start.
Storage
The paprika in the blend dulls and loses its peppery brightness before the celery salt loses its punch, so a stale jar often tastes salty but flat rather than weak all over -- a sign it's time to replace it even if the jar isn't empty.