Old Bay Seasoning is a popular spice mix produced by McCormick and Company, known for its use on seafood, particularly crabs. The recipe was developed in the 1940s and includes cinnamon, ginger, mustard seeds, bay leaves, celery salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. McCormick produces a range of Old Bay tie-in products.
Old Bay Seasoning is a spice mix produced by McCormick and Company, a Maryland-based company that produces a wide variety of herbs, spices, and blends. The mix has proved quite popular, especially along the East Coast of the United States, where it is paired with crab, lobster, shrimp and an assortment of other seafood. Many markets carry Old Bay seasoning, along with its imitators, and it’s even possible to make your own version at home, adjusting the spices to suit your personal taste.
The recipe for this condiment was developed in the 1940s by Gustav Brunn, a German immigrant. He named the spice mix for the Chesapeake Bay, one of Maryland’s most prominent natural features, and the recipe along with Brunn’s company was purchased in the 1990s by McCormick and Company, which retains the original recipe and distinctive labeling for the product to make it familiar and easily recognizable for consumers.
The exact proportions of Old Bay seasoning mix are a mystery topic, but the mix is known to include cinnamon, ginger, mustard seeds, bay leaves, celery salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Other cooks who make their own versions at home can add additional spices such as cardamom, mace, cloves, allspice, paprika and nutmeg. The spices are ground together to create a smooth powder that can keep for up to a year when stored in a cool, dry place.
The seasoning’s classic use is on crabs, a popular Chesapeake Bay product. At one point, the crabs were so plentiful that they were handed out for free in bars, encouraging customers to stick around, and early versions had a high salt content, so that when customers ate the crabs, they would be encouraged to order more from drinking. Now that that crab has become more of a delicacy, people still use Old Bay seasoning, as they’ve acquired a taste for it.
Leveraging the Old Bay brand, McCormick and Company produces a number of tie-in products, including Old Bay seasoning packaged in convenient shaker containers, Old Bay batters for fried foods, a mix of tuna salads and cocktail sauces, and branded tartars Old Bay. Many of these products are readily available in large markets, although cooks can also create their own unique blend if they feel so inclined.
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